The Prince of Rain
by Toph the Trickster
Summary: Things area never as they appear, and Uzumaki Naruto embodied this fact perfectly. Now, three years after the fated chuunin exams, join Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of Konoha as they ally themselves with the hidden rain, and its mysterious Royal Family.
1. Past and Present

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

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Hi everyone, my first Naruto fic.

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GO!

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_**Chapter One:**_

**Past and Present:**

"_I have waited __**long enough**__!"_

~TtT~

Peace really was something as an illusion of sorts. It was enjoyable, but constantly fleeting; one had to work constantly for it to be maintained.

It resembled glass; one could always see through it clearly, but it could be shattered beyond repair at the slightest mistake.

The current peace being experienced by Konohagakure was _exactly_ like this. Fifteen years had passed since the death of the fourth Hokage, and the widowed village was still on the verge of war.

Dealings with Iwagakure were still shaky at most, and, with the new existence of Oto, things only got worse.

Over the past few years, the Five Great Elemental Nations have been on the brink of aggression, only the Land of Rain, by preventing any hostility along, and within, its boundaries, was able to prevent a fourth, great shinobi war.

Being situated in the center of three, out of the five countries certainly had its benefits.

But, despite all the efforts that were placed, the existing peace was still questionable.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was seated at his desk in the Hokage tower, trying to make sense of the world around him; from the questionable peace to the letter from Ame, which he received less then a week ago. He held the letter in his hand, trying to see if he could find any ulterior motives hidden between the lines.

Amegakure had just proposed to an alliance with the Leaf.

_It's not that an alliance with Ame would not be useful, after all. _Hiruzen mused. _We are already at war with Otogakure, although neither of us have made any moves to make use of the 'at war' status, and the fact that Ame already has strong relations with the Sand, the ties Konoha has to it, though, are questionable, at most._

_Ame has always been an independent nation, never needing to rely on anyone else for protection, so it doesn't add up._ That was the main reason the third leaf Hokage was trying to check the letter for signs of trickery.

As he did this, Hiruzen took the opportunity to look back, thinking of all the things that have happened in the past three years, his memory drifting to the thought of the last chuunin exams, and aloud-mouthed blonde.

It was during the last leg of examination, the leg where the Sound were about to attack, that he disappeared.

Yes, Uzumaki, Naruto had disappeared during the third part of the chuunin exams.

Thinking about it more, Hiruzen remembered how Konoha had averted the war with Otto:

During that particular chuunin exam, not that there were any held afterwards since the other nations were too wary of each other to host, they received a letter from Ame's newly declare Kage,

… the Shodai Amekage, to be exact.

Hiruzen was impressed that Ame made a move on an international level just after the ending of a civil war.

What surprised Hiruzen even more was the fact that it was Salamander Hanzou who lost.

The letter said that Ame patrols had spotted a large contingency of Oto-nin en route for Konohagakure.

Hiruzen promptly sent a reply asking why the new Kage had warned them of the impending danger, while thanking him all the while.

The Amekage didn't seem to have been insulted as he sent a reply only a few days later. It was very brief, and only said the following words:

~ "_I still have my genin there, Hokage-sama, whether some of them are dead or not, cannot be helped, but I do not wish to put any of my remaining ninja in any form of danger. Be careful, and be safe_." ~

Hiruzen took action immediately, sending Jiraiya on a mission to track down Tsunade; a mission which was completed fairly quickly.

It was shortly after their arrival, when Hiruzen explained why he needed Tsunade to return, that the three began their planning, making sure that no one, _no one_, knew of Tsunade's return, as to keep the present Oto-nin from sensing anything wrong. Anko had already informed the old Hokage of Orochimaru's presence in the exams, the old man deducing that he was after the last Uchiha.

It was only during the third exam, when Naruto was supposed to fight Neji, did Hiruzen make his move:

For all the things he planned, the prodigal Sannin most certainly did not expect to be attacked by the Hokage, two of the Sannin, one hundred, or so, ANBU, and several hundred shinobi.

Needless to say, the invasion never occurred, and Sunagakure immediately declared war on Otto after learning of the Kazekage's demise at the hands of the snake while Konoha broke off all remnants of its old alliance with Suna.

Hiruzen was surprised at how bad the situation could have become had he not received the Amekage's warning, and sent another message, thanking him for the alert, and offering the assistance of Konoha in stabilizing the region.

The mysterious Kage only replied with the words:

~ "_I feel that it would be best that Konohagakure concentrate on its own recovery. I am certain that all the other villages that attended the chuunin exam are now paranoid of attack, and my not be disposed to meeting each other again, as of the moment._

_~"Not to mention the fact that you still have to deal with the unease of your own subordinates and citizens; I highly doubt that you can spare anything for an unknown country right now. Not that I am not grateful; it is an honor to be offered assistance from the legendary Konohagakure, but it would be in our best interests to place our full efforts into rebuilding our own respective villages._

_~"Besides, I would look bad as the Shodaime Amekage if I was asking for help, only a month in office_." ~

Hiruzen had to agree, and, with a light heart, joined in the festivities.

It was only after all the euphoria died down did he notice it, nearly a month after the failed exams:

Uzumaki Naruto was missing.

Hiruzen then took it upon himself to search for the young blond, accompanied by Jiraiya, who claimed to have enjoyed training the boy in the period of a month.

They asked around, first assuming that he was training, or doing something of the mischievous sort as he was prone to.

But after two weeks of searching, and a lot of convincing, Hiruzen had no choice but to declare the blonde boy as having been Missing in Action, as the last sightings of him were after his fight with Gaara of the Sand, the former leaving to assist in the main battle, leaving Gaara, Sakura, and Sasuke at the hands of Temari, Gaara's older sister.

Shortly after the declaration was made, Jiraiya took his leave, saying that he had another appointment to keep. Ironically, it was Tsunade who remained, claiming to have found something interesting in Konoha, in the form of a certain Haruno Sakura, whom the Sannin took as her second apprentice.

Returning to Hiruzen's original dilemma, he read the letter one more time before registering that the guest was due to arrive that day.

"Well," the old man said to himself. "I might as well get ready to meet him at the gates. It would be unseemly to have him brought before me rather than welcoming him as an honored guest."

As Sarutobi, Hiruzen left, he recalled the last line of the letter he received a few days previous:

~"_As an act of good will, and a show of trust, I, the Amekage of the Hidden Rain, will personally come to Konoha to discuss the treaty terms with Hokage, Sarutobi, Hiruzen_."~

~TtT~

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!** (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)" was a cry that resounded through the training field as Konoha's resident prodigy breathed a large flaming ball that flew across the river to strike at his opponent.

Haruno Sakura simply punched the ground, sending large chunks of rock flying into the air, and, thereby, achieving several things:

She obstructed Sasuke's view of his opponent.

The fireball's power was reduced considerably, as the rocks took most of the damage.

Sasuke ran across the river between them to check out the damage, and to see where his teammate was; he found no trace of pink hair or read battle garb when he arrived at the scorched area, leaving him to one conclusion:

He attempted to block Sakura's incoming blow when she struck at him with a right back-hand fist.

Unfortunately for the Uchiha prodigy, he forgot about his friend's monstrous strength.

The mistake resulted in Sasuke's flying across the clearing, putting him back where he started:

…-Across the river.

He rubbed his right wrist as the pain settled in.

"Remind me to _never_ block you when you are seriously trying to hurt me." He told her when she had crossed the river to his side. "It's dangerous."

Sakura just smiled at the implied compliment. Sasuke had become quite different in the past three years.

Oh no, he had not given up on his quest for vengeance, but he still managed to discover several things that made him decide to put such foolish plans on hold.

_After all,_ he thought. _It's useless to be able to get revenge if it will become pointless anyway right?_

"Here," Sakura took his injured hand. "Let me take care of that." Her hands glowed green as she began to heal her friend's injury. Sasuke remained silent during the healing process, but looked around to survey the damage done by their spar:

There were many fallen trees with different forms of damage, ranging from cracks caused by fists to holes made by electrical lightning bolts. Sasuke noted that Sakura was no longer the annoyance she used to be.

"So, Sasuke-kun," Sasuke knew that tone, gods damn him he _knew_ that tone. "Maybe you'd like to get a bite to eat when we're done here? Well, just in case you were hungry, that is." The tone was casual, She managed to make it sound like she was just inviting him for some food, but he knew too well the implications of saying yes.

_She's getting better at this._ Sasuke was impresses, impressed and amused but made it a point to look contemplative as not to give anything away. _If she keeps this up, and, maybe, ends her fan girl streak, I just might say yes some time…_

… _just not now…_

Oh yes, Sakura was no longer the thorn on his side,

…-But that didn't stop him from acting like she was.

"Hmm… Not now." He put down, flatly. He turned, and began to walk back to the village, but stopped. "By the way: thanks." He continued walking.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, acting more annoyed then desperate, as oppose to her attitude when she was twelve. Back then, she would whine if he said no.

Now, well, it was quite different.

She glared at Sasuke, her hands resting on her waist, she looked a lot like an angry mother.

She was very different indeed.

Sasuke looked back at her, his expression blank, but his eyes danced in amusement. Though it wasn't like he didn't want to go, he just had other priorities as of the moment.

_I heard that a small group of Ame-nin was to arrive today, accompanied by the Kage's son. I think Kakashi-sensei said that the Amekage is coming over to negotiate a treaty with Konoha. _Sasuke told himself

"I heard the Amekage is arriving from Rain today, and I wanted to see him." Sasuke told her. _And maybe see his son as well, from what I heard, the kid's a prodigy._

"Ah, Really?" Sakura asked, in a fake interested tone.

"Don't give me that, pinkie." Sasuke glared at her as they entered the village, although the said glare was never intended to insult her in any way. "I can tell you know; you're the apprentice of a Sannin, for Kami's sake."

Sakura fake-pouted at her teammate's comment. "Must you be like that, Sasuke-kun? It was hard enough to get you out of your shell, two years to be exact, and your going to go all 'too cool for you' on me again?"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as they passed the gate, when he noticed another person walk in at the same time.

He wore a large, black coat with a high collar, high enough to cover his face till the bridge of his nose; the coat's train falling to his knees. Sasuke recognized the uniform of Ame's royal guard, also known as _Storm_, but, unlike many Ame-nin in the organization, who wore their coats closed, and a wide-brimmed hat over their heads, this one wore his coat opened at the front, revealing what was underneath. Sasuke noticed another coat underneath, the same kind he had seen on depictions of the legendary Namikaze Minato, albeit of different design an color. While Minato's was white with red flames at the trim, the person's was blue with black waves; underneath, Sasuke saw a plain, black polo shirt, and black pants, over all, a plain attire under the two coats.

Sasuke stopped walking when the person approached the two guards at the gate. The Uchiha looked to the girl beside him to notice she was looking intently as well. He looked back to see the person reach to his head to remove his hat.

~TtT~

Since the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto three years ago, Haruno Sakura could never help but feel slightly guilty whenever she saw something that reminded her of the blonde. Anything that made her miss his odd quirks, like ramen, the color orange, and other things as such. There were even times that she saw a wild fox in the forests of Konoha, and couldn't help but remember the Nin's fox-like attributes:

His mischievous attitude…

His great talent in trickery…

-His ability to hide his emotions behind that cheery mask of his. Well, in the few times that she felt it might have been fake.

… There were just so many things that Sakura could point out that made Naruto so much like a fox.

But it just gave Sakura a reason to avoid foxes.

She didn't like to remind herself of the blonde. She always became overcome with guilt when she thought of Naruto. When she was twelve, she never treated him right. She shot down all his advances, as innocent as they may have been; she called him a failure, dead last, drop-out, fool, and so many other things that she had called him.

But worst of all, Sakura was guilty over never giving him a fair share of her attention; it was always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke to her. Naruto was just there, the dead last who would never amount to anything.

_And he never did._ Sakura's voice was shaking in her mind, she felt like she could just break down there and cry. _He never did amount to anything 'cause he got himself killed three years ago. He was always there, ready to help if he was needed; ready to make sacrifices to protect others. He was seen as the weakest among us, but his last act was saving us from something that not even Sasuke-kun could beat. His last heroic deed: to save someone who didn't even acknowledge them._

_Ironic isn't it: that he decided to save me, the __**real**__ weakling in the team._

But why was she thinking all of this now? Oh, that's right, she just saw something that reminded her of the boy:

A fox.

A little red fox was following the Ame-nin who entered the village at the same time as she and Sasuke did, bringing the guilt-ridden emotions along with it.

Of course, Sakura never showed anyone this, not even Sasuke. She felt that she had to bear it, to at least honor the sacrifice that her friend had made for her and Sasuke.

If one were to look at her now, one would see her just standing there looking at the Ame-nin as he removed his hat.

A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek.

_No…_

_It can't be._

There, in front of her, wearing the forehead protector of the hidden Rain, was the spitting image of the boy she had lost.

Through all the minor differences, she saw him.

His purple eyes…

His unblemished, whisker-free face…

The black earrings…

Through it all, she couldn't help but see it, see him.

She was now consumed by bad feelings, and she felt like she could not bear them anymore. She looked to Sasuke, who had a dumbstruck expression on his face; he was pale as a ghost, as though he had seen one. Sakura finally gave way; calling out the name, ethereal as a whisper:

"… Naruto…"

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and that ends the first chapter of the "Prince of Rain."

first, questions:

Who's the kid who looks like Naruto?

Do you think he is Naruto?

Who is tha Amekage?

What do you think of the characters, are they OoC?

If yes, would you please be so kind as to leave me some suggestions?

To those that are reading my Code Geass fics, don't worry. And to those who are waiting for me to update this fic, please bear with me as i still have two fics to update, and, quite frankly, they take my priority.

hehe,

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	2. The Flower, the Prince, and the Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Hello again, my dear readers. This update took time due to lack of time.

For my CG readers, I _do_ greatly apologize for my inability to update NaF and PW. If you are really _that_ interested in finding out why, I'll tell you:

All of my fics represent a side of my personality, or a different style of thinking I may use; which fics represent what is up to you.

I am deeply sorry to those waiting for my CG fics, especially those waiting for Perfect World, since it will be that fic that will suffer the most now. I am currently in a, slightly, darker emotional state, and I can only write if I am in the correct mindset. So, until I can psyche myself into being bright and humorous, PW will have to wait.

Ok, with that down, time to get to the review responses:

**First**, the decided pairing is narusaku, regardless of what any of you say.

**KCWolfman **and** fanfic addict lady**, I will stick to narusaku, but I have taken note of what you have said, and it may, it will, influence the outcome of my story; although, I just don't like naruhina. Naruto feels too far ooc in that pairing. Why? He is far too gentle, and the prince of rain is anything but.

**To those that answered the questions**, It appears that many of you have not figured it out. Whether it's because of the clues or lack thereof, I am glad that I will be able to surprise many of you to a degree.

**Paladin13** and **dbzgfan2004**, Thank you, and, yes, narusaku forever.

**To everyone else**, the questions are there for a reason; please answer them when you review. They serve as feedback for my writing as they tell me if you have the idea I want to send, or if I am hiding certain things enough, or lack thereof.

**To all of you**, thank you.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster

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Chapter Two:

The Flower, the Prince, and the Shadow

_During the years succeeding the Ame civil war, the country's new kage was said to have been too busy to tend to international affairs in person. Merely meeting the Amekage already meant that one held high standing in the shinobi world since he was usually far too much to do to leave Ame for long periods of time. It was also during these times, that the fabled "Prince of Rain" had made his reputation among the shinobi nations. The prince had a hand in many international affairs, and was, at times, even sought by other kages for who desired to do business with the hidden rain, which was beginning to gain a reputation for being one of the most powerful villages._

_It was also during the three years since Ame had gained a kage, that people saw that a visit from the Prince of Rain was as good as a visit from the Amekage, himself._

~TtT~

"Ah, Haruno-san, Uchiha-san, what are you doing here?" the shocked genin turned to see Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage, looking down at them. The said genin, still in a mild state of shock, just stared at the old man with stoned faces.

Hiruzen, sensing something wrong, felt it best to ask them.

"Are you two alright? Is something wrong?" he gave the pair a once over, hopeful that he might be able to uncover something from their appearances.

The Uchiha had, more or less, a blank expression; the only difference that Hiruzen could find would be the utter disbelief that his eyes radiated.

Looking to the Haruno, he found a different story. Her lower lip was quivering, and he swore he saw a tear streak down one of her cheeks.

_Whatever this is about, it surely has had an impact on these two._

Sasuke was the first to give the Hokage a form of response. He turned back to where he was facing earlier, and gestured to the person conversing with the guards.

After looking at the stranger, Hiruzen said the first word that came to mind:

"Uzumaki Naruto, is that you?"

~TtT~

"Excuse me?" the boy said, turning into the direction of the call. "Forgive me, but were you, by any chance, calling me, Hokage-sama?" he asked politely, his purple eyes reflecting the summer sun.

It was only after the boy turned to them, did Hiruzen notice the forehead protector of the hidden rain.

_Ame? No… don't tell me this boy I the Amekage? And his appearance… it's so similar to Naruto's. _Hiruzen told himself. _But I guess it's better to be safe then sorry, right? Ame could be a great asset to Konoha and it wouldn't do us any good to accidentally insult a kage for his age._

Hiruzen began to make his way toward the purple-eyed teen, deciding to ignore the two genin that pointed out the blonde's presence in the first place.

"Greetings, Amekage-san; I trust that your journey here was a pleasant one?"

The blonde just looked at the kage, and gave the latter a pleasant smile and a curt nod.

"There were no problems on my way here Hokage-sama, but I wish to tell you that I am not the Amekage." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the statement.

_If this isn't the Amekage, where is the man?_

"I regret to inform you," the boy continued. "That the Amekage will not be with us in the meantime as something has turned up in the homeland, and he will not be able to come here to discuss the terms of the treaty." The manner in which he spoke made Hiruzen feel that he was in the presence of an experienced politician, one who had seen a lot of deals made, and treaties signed.

"I see," Hiruzen said as he fingered his pipe. "Then I assume that you are here to negotiate in his place?" _I might as well assume such as he seem to have come here alone._

The boy nodded. "That would _indeed_ be the case, Hokage-sama. My father will be here in time for the signing; if it is my age that worries you, do not fret for he will read through the terms, and will discuss them with you. I am merely here to lay the groundwork."

Out of the words that the boy spoke, it was a lone statement that called his attention.

"Your father," Hiruzen said, slightly overwhelmed as he made his conclusion: "You're the-."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The boy never let him finish. He placed his hand in front of him; it was in a black glove, with silver knuckle caps and metal tips at the fingers. His hands looked like claws with black skin as Hiruzen looked at it. "It is nice to meet you; I am the Prince of Rain."

~TtT~

_The Prince of Rain…_Sasuke had heard of him: the prince had gained a lot of popularity during the three years after the Ame civil war. _The kid was, what, the same age as Sakura and I? And his appearance… is he Naruto, or someone else who just looks like him? Could he really be alive?_

These thoughts went through the prodigy's mind as he and Sakura went their separate ways after the Hokage and the prince left for the tower, the latter pair ignoring the genin completely.

_I need to know,_ he thought, deciding to turn in the direction of the kage's tower. _If he really is the damned fool, and if he is…_

He leapt of the road, and took to the rooftops.

… _I'm giving him a piece of my mind._

~TtT~

"So I presume that you would like to begin the negotiations now?" Hiruzen sat down on his chair in the tower's office. They decided to walk to the tower, and it took them a good half-hour to arrive.

The prince just shook his head. "Please don't be, too much, in a hurry, Hokage-sama." He took one of the seats in front of the desk, and sat down. "Father won't be here for another two weeks, and besides," he looked to the pictures of the hokages, the prince's gaze lingering on the portrait of the fourth Hokage. "Don't you need to discuss Konoha's terms with the council and the clan leaders first?" he gave the old kage a small, but friendly, smile.

Hiruzen returned the smile before speaking. "It seems that you are acquainted with some of Konohagakure's customs, but I, regretfully, inform you, that it would take a week, at best, to prepare the terms of the treaty; are you sure you can wait that long?" The kage's expression remained friendly, but his thoughts were swirling with worry. Many political visitors did not like to be kept waiting; he just hoped that Ame would be more accommodating than others.

The prince just raised an eyebrow as though Hiruzen said something senseless.

"I see nothing wrong with your doing so; it _is_ procedure, after all. Besides, as I said, we have two weeks to prepare for my father's arrival." The teenage prince intertwined his fingers, and rested his elbows on the armrests of his chair.

He continued: "after all, it would do _neither_ of us _any_ good to make use of a rushed and loosely-made treaty, right?"

Hiruzen nodded. _This person is very patient, if the Amekage is anything like this son of his, then I am sure that things will go very smoothly in two weeks._ Hiruzen stood up, and walked to the window while the prince just remained in his seat, but looked out the window, nonetheless.

"I give you my thanks, prince-san." The kage looked to his guest who met his gaze. "But now that we have settled that, I think that we should take care of the current, more immediate, matters."

"And what would those be, Hokage-sama?" the prince raised an eyebrow at this again.

_The boy is quite mild._ Hiruzen told himself. _All of his words and actions seem to be calculated, and he keeps his reactions in check. Is this person really fifteen?_

"Those matters would be your accommodations, prince." The Hokage walked to his seat, and sat down once more. "You _will_ need to find a place to stay for the next two weeks, will you not?"

The prince smirked at hearing this, and gave the older man a friendly nod.

"Yes, it would be too much of a hassle to travel back to Ame while waiting for Konoha's terms." It was the prince, this time, who stood up; but, rather than going to the window, he decided to take in the sight of the room. Afterwards, he looked back to the kage, and spoke again: "I would also like to see what has happened to this village over the years."

Hiruzen's eyebrows furrowed slightly at hearing the prince's words. "You make it sound like you have been here before, prince-san."

The prince just looked at him, and smirked again. "I actually have, Hokage-sama." He sat down again, and crossed his legs. "But that is a tale for another time;" suddenly, all the humor disappeared from the prince's face as a red fox jumped through a window, and took perch on the prince's shoulder. "I have something important to tell you, and I have a feeling that you will want to hear this."

~TtT~

"Hi, Naruto-san;" a pink-haired girl said as she stood before a stone memorial in Konoha cemetery. She held her arms to herself as she read the words that had been written:

~ _In Memory of Uzumaki Naruto, the friend who died for his nation and his friends._ ~

The stone was plane, but on special request of Jiraiya, a fox was carved above the Naruto's name, and an additional line bellow the first.

~ _In memory of Konohagakure's greatest protector, the jailer who held the world on his shoulders. _~

She shuddered once before she spoke again. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here now, aren't you?" she flashed the stone a feeble attempt at a smile. "I know that I haven't visited you much in the last three years, but I guess that you must not want me to.

"I'm sorry that I've only come here now; I guess it must be pretty lonely since, just about, no one visits you here." Sakura really didn't know why she decided to pay the memorial a visit; it had been well over an hour and a half since she saw the boy who looked like Naruto, but turned out o be the Prince of Rain.

"I saw someone who looked like you, did you know that?" she let out a hollow laugh, one void of any actual happiness. "Yeah, he did. It turns out that he was the Prince of Rain! Can you believe that?

"A person spoken as a legend by the shinobi who have worked with him; he came to Konoha today; imagine that!

"He was the son of the Amekage, and, like I said, he really, _really_ looks like you. He was even the same age as Sasuke and I!" … _and you too if you were still here…_

"… but you are still so different from him though, Naruto-san." _No, I don't have the right to be familiar with him anymore. No, not after everything that's happened._

"… the prince was so mild; he didn't act like his age at all. And the way he spoke to Hokage-sama, it was like he was talking to an equal. But then, if I think about it, you did so too, didn't you?

"I still haven't thanked you for saving me three years ago, have I?" She fell to her knees, and clutched her arms a little tighter; her eyes were starting to water. "You saved me from Gaara then; do you still remember that?

"… I guess you do; it was then that you managed to prove that you were stronger than Sasuke; it was then that you showed how much you cared." She was shaking violently now.

"… but still; why did you have to go and get yourself killed? Why had you left us there to join the battle? You could have lived; you could still have been here with us right now.

"Your death affected us a lot. If you take a look at Sasuke now, I don't think you would recognize him by anything other than appearance. He really changed; and do you know what he told me, Naruto-san, when I asked him why he was having a sudden change attitude?

"… You know what he told me?

"… He told me that he wants to honor your passing, you died protecting others, surpassing him in the process. He said that he wants to keep your sacred your last wishes before you left to help on the frontlines…" it was at this point that she finally caved; her tears began to cascade down her smooth face as she shook all the more.

"… You weren't planning to come back, were you?…

"… Sasuke never really told me what you said to him, but it changed a lot of things. Even our friends have been affected by your death. Like-." Sakura was interrupted by a yip she heard from behind her. _A fox?_ She froze before she turned around to see a red fox staring at her, the same fox that followed the prince as he entered Konoha.

She just stared at the little mammal, her tears still flowing.

The little thing looked back with equal intensity; Sakura felt like its gaze pierce through her, like it was gazing directly into her.

Another thing that she noticed was the color of its eyes:

_Purple eyes? That is not a natural eye color for a fox to have._

She was interrupted from her mental musings when the fox stood up, and began to walk away while Sakura just stared at it.

It looked over its shoulder, and stared at the girl; Sakura felt the unnatural eyes pierce through her again. She felt rooted, entranced by the sparkling amethyst eyes the fox had.

The two remained that way until the fox yipped again, catching her attention. It was at that time that Sakura figured out just _what_ the animal wanted from her.

_You want me to follow you…_echoed through her mind.

Deciding to submit, she followed suite, her tears never really stopped flowing then.

They continued to walk, heading deeper into the burial grounds. Sakura had already managed to stop the tears, and wiped the trails away with her arms. It was at that point in time, when she saw the three stone monuments, did she realize where the fox was leading her.

"The Hokage memorial, we're going there?" She said; the fox must have felt the question directed at it for it yipped one more time before running toward it. Sakura was going to follow suite, but she saw a person standing in front of the fourth's memorial, holding a black, crystal orb in one hand while his other was in his pocket.

She went closer to the place, and only when she saw the blonde hair did she know who it was.

* * *

That ends chapter two.

Now, on to the questions:

What info do you think he prince has for Hiruzen?

What is your opinion on the prince's character?

What was Naruto's last request to Sasuke?

What do you think of the fox?

What is with the purple eyes?

What do you think of Sakura's scene in the graveyard?

Who is the Amekage? (twice now)


	3. Prince Charming

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Alright, everyone, here's the next installment of the prince of rain.

**Let us begin with a few announcements:**

The rating for the story is now up to "**T**" due to the contents of this chapter,

Many of the pairings are still to my discretion, main pairing included, but you may still send over suggestions.

When you review, please answer the questions; I already posted why in chapter two.

**NOW FOR THE REVIEW RESPONSES:** (Mainly for reviews of note)

**Where r my chips**: No, I did not turn Naruto into some fox-human… thingy…

**Eterguy and Paladin13**: thank you for answering the questions.

And, finally, **KCWolfman:** I have sent you a message regarding you review, but if you did not receive it, please inform me so I may send you my answer again, thank you.

**The rest: **thank you.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

Chapter Three:

Prince Charming

"_The Prince of Rain is nothing if not charming. Sunagakure, being Ame's ally, has seen a lot of negotiations with the small country, and, of course, many of those negotiations involved the fabled prince._

"_I admit that, when I was first going to meet him, I had expected to meet an arrogant, weak bastard who was all bark and no bite; my opinion was rectified the moment I laid my eyes on him. He was not an arrogant bastard; no, he was probably the farthest thing from it._

"_It was during those times, when the prince frequented Suna, with the purpose of smoothing things out with my brother, did I learn that, if the prince wanted, he could make the entire Suna female population fall for him; he was that capable, that skilled with the hears of women."_

_-Sabaku no Temari._

~TtT~

It was the break of dawn, and sunlight crept through the glass widows of Konoha's most prestigious hotel. Dawn was never a time for people to rouse themselves from sleep; well, at least not those who could afford to relax, that is.

Room twenty-nine held one of those people.

One of the said room's occupants, although, was already awake, albeit the fact that he was still in bed. His purple eyes just looked at the ceiling, but the slight smile on his face displayed the mild, yet strong, emotion that dominated his being. He pulled his arms closer to himself, tightening his grip on the object that it held. He took in his surroundings, still feeling slightly odd with the new surroundings:

He was in a king size bed, which was, slightly, bigger than what he needed to serve his purposes; four poles rose from the corners, and on top of them were white draperies that were brought together to form a roof and curtain, of sorts. The room was also fairly large, the size of four regular rooms combined; to be more detailed, roughly fifteen by twenty square meters. The floors were carpeted, and the walls were soundproof, allowing the room's occupants all the privacy they would need. The room had two desks, one bathroom which had a large bathtub that could be used by two, and a walk-in closet. One whole side, of the four walls that the room had, was devoted to a single, large widow that was, slowly, filling the room with the morning sunlight.

It was then, after taking in his surroundings, did he decide to move. He removed the weight from his chest, as gently as possible as to not cause a disturbance, and sat up, revealing the fact the he was wearing nothing under the immaculately white, silk sheets, consequently showing his innumerable scars. Dangling his legs over one side of the bed, he stretched his neck to loosen any stiff joins; he stood up afterwards. As he made toward the closet, he heard a voice come from the bed:

"You're leaving me already?" the voice had a feminine ring to it, as well as a, slightly, mocking but amused tone. "Are you seriously going to leave a woman in an unfamiliar place; how rude?"

The called person just looked back, his face blank once more.

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "Coming from someone who had the nerve to appear, unannounced? I'd say that _that_ would be rude." He was now wearing a crimson robe that had the Konoha leaf stitched over the heart; it was, undoubtedly, provided by the hotel.

It was after he said this did the girl decide to sit up, revealing her figure to her companion. _It's not that he hasn't seen it anyway._ Her long red hair fell to the small of her back and past her shoulders, obscuring her face from the coming light.

"Why? Are you not happy to see me, my prince? Do you detest me now?" she asked.

The prince decided to turn around fully, facing the woman lying on his bed. "I would never say such thing." He grinned, barring his fangs at her, and licked his teeth. "I am always happy to receive you, my dear, no matter how unexpected you arrival might be." He turned to a small, round table. Taking the wine bottle that was chilling in an ice bucket, and poured its contents into a glass, filling it. He returned to her, and spoke after taking a sip of the wine. "Today isn't one of our days, is it?" he spoke with slight disappointment.

She just shook her head. "No; I was just given last night to see you, I only have until this morning, but I should be able to see you on your birthday." She smiled sadly, the light already reaching till, just bellow, her nose.

The prince's grin was now reduced to a mild smile. "I guess that means that we still have our two whole days together." He passed her the glass. "… Wine?"

"Yes, thank you." She said while taking the glass; she handed it back to him after one sip, and he sat down on the bed, his back toward her. "You know that that is as much that we can see each other, right? That was the agreement." She told him, as though understanding what he wanted

"I know," he nodded, not looking back. "But it doesn't change what I want."

The pair stayed silent, both watching the rising sun that sent its rays through the room's large window.

They remained that way until the Prince of Rain felt two arms wrap around his neck, and a feminine chin rested on his left shoulder.

"You know," she told the blonde. "I still have some time, a good few hours to be exact, as morning, technically, doesn't end until the clock strikes noon…" she purposely drifted off, letting the prince's mind finish the sentence. He looked to her face, which was now completely in the light, her crimson eyes looking at him happily as her facial expression expressed likewise.

The prince said nothing; no, he remained silent as he let his actions speak for himself.

He placed the half-filled wine glass on the nightstand and began to kiss the girl, slowly switching to a lying position on the bed.

It was good that the room was soundproof as the couple decided to remain with each other until later in the day.

~TtT~

"Hello, and welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop! How may I…" Yamanaka Ino stopped speaking when she saw who it was that entered the building. "Hey, forehead, how are you?"

Sakura looked to the blonde girl whom she managed to repair her friendship with. _Here we go, always insulting for a greeting…_ "And good morning to you too, pig." Sakura sent Ino a wide smile, making both teenagers laugh.

They spent the next few minutes that way, just throwing different names and insults back at each other amusedly; it took some time before Ino decided to pick the conversation up where they left off:

"You didn't answer my question, Sakura: how are you?" Ino stopped teasing, making it, very visibly, known to the pink-haired girl that the former was no longer joking around. Sakura sighed tiredly before answering the question:

"I'd say I'm fair right now." Her expression changed; turning from, slightly, depressed and exhausted to excited. "But hey, did you here?" Ino raised her eyebrows at, both, Sakura's sudden change in attitude and the information that the blonde did not possess.

"What are you talking about, Sakura? You know I've been cooped up in here 'cause my mom went to Suna to pick up an import of herbs and the Ino-Shika-Cho is on a mission right now."

Sakura tilted her head to the side as she spoke once more: "Hasn't Shikamaru-san or Chouji-san paid you a visit to tell you about the news?" Ino just shook her head before giving the other girl her answer:

"No, all three of us are currently busy with training. Our dads are trying to get us ready for the chuunin exams coming in a month, and we want to pass." Ino said as she arranged some flowers on the far end of the counter. "What _is_ the news, Haruno Sakura?" stating her friend's name for emphasis.

"What do you know about Ame?" Sakura replied, deciding to answer the question in a roundabout manner.

"Huh?" Ino said, not expecting such an answer from her friend. _Something must be bothering her, she doesn't, usually, give that kind of answer; something's bothering her._ Ino sighed before speaking again. "Something's bothering you, Sakura. What's wrong?" Ino narrowed her eyes and cut Sakura off as the latter was about to reply. "And don't you dare tell me nothing's wrong because I cam _feel_ the depression rolling off you."

Sakura looked at her friend, her eyes slightly wide from the statement.

"If you want to know, answer my question: What do you know about the village hidden in the rain?" Sakura's voice was, now, reflecting what she was feeling inside: conflict, guilt, and, most of all, confusion.

Ino's eyebrows climbed her head as she heard her friends tone. _I was __**not**__ expecting that. _"… Nothing much, just that they ended a civil war when the Sound tried to invade, and that they have a kage now…"

Sakura was slightly surprised Ino's response. "Wait, so you _haven't _heard about what Ame is planning?"

Ino stood up and began to arrange some flowers while Sakura decided to take a seat on one of the stools by the counter. "If you're talking about the rumors, then of course I've heard them."

"Rumors?" Ino's word caught Sakura's attention "what rumors?"

Ino gave out a little giggle, not taking her attention from her work. "Oh?" it was then Ino stopped her work, went to the counter, and sat down on another stool. "And you commented on _me _being uninformed?"

~TtT~

Mitarashi Anko was not the type of person who enjoyed to be kept waiting; in fact, she would sooner put you in the hospital then give you the chance of arriving late for an appointment with her; so, consequently, when the third Hokage told her to take a political visitor on a tour around Konoha, she could not help but be irritated with the person when she was forced to wait till past noon.

_God damn this guy!_ She ranted. _How much does he sleep? It's nearly one o' clock!_ The twenty-year-old thought as she sat at in the hotel lobby, still waiting for the guest. As much as she was frustrated to be kept waiting, she found the person who she was supposed to meet accommodating as the person in charge of the hotel told her that the staff was asked to accommodate to any one who was looking for him. She was served some chilled Sake and a plate of dango while she waited; the expense charged to the guest. _At least he knows how to compensate._ It was after she had ended her mental statement did she hear some of the hotel staff talking.

"Hey, you remember the guest that arrived from Ame?" one said to the person at the front desk, instantly catching Anko's attention.

"Yeah; what about him?" the employee behind the table asked.

"Well, I was doing the night shift last night, as you know, when I saw a girl go into his room." The janitor's words visibly surprising the other employee and Anko as well.

The kunoichi couldn't help but smirk when the words sunk in. _so __**that's**__ why he's still in bed._ She listened in when the pair started talking once more.

"How old was the girl? And isn't the guest a minor? I think he was just about fifteen when I saw him walk in with the ANBU."

_Fifteen?! The guest is just a teenager?_ Anko couldn't help but gasp slightly when she heard the information.

"Yeah; I know." The janitor said, looking around to see if there was anyone coming down the stairs. "She was relatively young; she looked to be about seventeen or so." Anko took another sip of her sake.

_This is getting interesting._ She told herself. _I wonder what the guy's like… _The front office worker was about to speak again when the manager approached them.

"I would keep quiet now, boys" she scolded them, and looked to the stairs. "the subject of your gossip is on his way down."

Anko immediately looked to the stairs, wanting to get a good look of the fifteen-year-old boy who bedded older girls.

The Prince of Rain was wearing a blue, sleeveless Haori, its ankle-length, but tattered, train was decorated with black waves with a long, a long center slit that cut up to the boy's waist, a standing collar that was level with his chin, and a white diamond printed at the back with the symbol of Amegakure printed inside the latter in black. He wore a red Hakama, and a long-sleeved, black, zipped up shirt that was showing the shape of his arms; in the place of an Obi was a Leather belt with a gold, rectangular buckle. His black earrings were sill on, and he was adjusting the same gloves he wore the day before. His forehead protector was tied around his forehead brandishing the symbol of the hidden rain; and his blonde hair was as wild as ever.

He looked to the people at the front desk with a raised eyebrow as he descended, then trained his purple gaze over the room and stopping to rest on Anko.

_Woah! Is that the brat!?_ Anko was wide-eyed as she looked at the teen. _I thought he died when the Sound attacked? No, it couldn't be. This kid's wearing the symbol of the hidden rain so he couldn't be the brat; they just have the same face, the eye color is too different, not to mention his, way to clean, face. _She kept pointing out differences to herself, trying not to think of a dead person coming back. _But I __**do**__ admit: he looks good._ She kept like this until the prince was standing in front of her, trying to break her from her stupor.

"Good afternoon," he gave her a shallow bow, and spoke again afterwards. "I apologize for taking so long, but I had _certain_ things to attend to that required my full attention this morning." Anko noticed the playful, yet mischievous and seductive tone he used which also reflected with his countenance.

Anko's eyes widened, but returned to normal. _What's with that tone; is he starting to flirt?_ The twenty-year-old smirked at the thought. _I think I'm going to like this kid._ Without saying anything, she turned to leave the hotel while he caught up and walked beside her.

"Tell me prince:" her tone as playful as the one the prince had used inside the hotel; he looked toward her, his expression black, but his eyes still shining with seduction. "What on earth could you have been doing in that room that took you half the day?"

The prince shrugged, smirking at her as they went toward one of the training grounds. "I'd rather let you figure that out on your own, Mitarashi Anko." Anko looked to the boy, surprise written across her face.

"Is it that surprising that I know you, Anko-san?" he said as they entered the field. "Hokage-sama told me to expect you today."

Anko visibly relaxed. _I thought for a minute there that I had been careless by letting a Nin from another country know me._

"May I ask as to what the Hokage has planned for me?" he asked her politely.

"Yes; he asked me to _entertain _you while you wait for the terms to be prepared." She said while licking her lips. "You _do_ want me to do that, right?"

The prince flashed a little bit of his teeth before smirking, his eyes glowing with amusement. "Is it wise to be messing around with a political visitor, Anko?"

Anko's smirk got wider at his words. "You don't seem to be complaining, _your majesty._" They were now in the middle of the field, a good distance away from each other. The prince, who seemed to have gotten the idea, took his stance.

"I see no reason to, Anko-chan." Anko's smirk turned into a full-blown grin as she charged forward and formed some seals:

"**Sen'eijashu**!" Anko cried sending four serpents flying at the prince.

_Shadow snake hands?_ The prince thought. _So she knows that._ The teenager jumped backward and flipped through all the twelve basic seals, and added a handclap at the end. His purple eyes glowed brightly while he opened his right palm, and placed it in front of him, facing Anko; he said, in the calmest of voices:

"Shinra Tensei."

* * *

QUESTIONS:

Who is the woman who slept with the prince?

What do you think of the said scene I made in for the two?

What is the agreement that was spoken of?

What happened at the graveyard, and what are Ino and Sakura talking about?

Is my portrayal of Anko ooc?

What do you think of the prince's attitude toward Anko; what could it mean?


	4. Impressions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Hello everyone, here is the update for the prince of rain.

**JNottle**: I would rather keep that a surprise.

**ching965**: I am grateful that you pointed that out.

**Paladin13**, **Advent** **Griever**, **srint** n **chase**: I am thankful that you answered most, if not all, the questions I have posted.

**Where**** r my chips**: the arguments you have raised are quite well grounded, and the questions are as well. I hope to answer, at least, one of them in this chapter.

All: many thanks.

Sincerely,

**Toph the Trickster

* * *

**

Chapter Four:

Impressions

"_I have heard people praise me, call me prodigious and talented. I have also known many people who have been called such as well: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Neji, Namikaze Minato, and many more._

"_I know that I cannot argue with them, especially if I think about my achievements: becoming chuunin at ten, and ANBU captain at thirteen; no, I cannot argue with their declarations._

"_But there are few, very few, who can say that they have seen true skill, true talent; I was one blessed enough to have been able to meet someone who possessed that __**true**__ talent._

"_This talent came in the form of the man, known to the world, as the Prince of Rain._

"_He was one who I could truly call great._

"_Why?_

"_If one was to sit in on one of his, so-called, 'training sessions,' it would be there that one would see why I praise him like I do._

"_I once had the honor of seeing him training, and, quite frankly, I have seen nothing like it; training that should have taken years, decades even, took him, only, days, weeks, or months, at most._

_**That**__ is what should be called prodigious, and it was then that the Prince of Rain earned my highest respects._

_Uchiha Itachi of the Akatsuki_

~TtT~

Sunset was always a beautiful sight in Konohagakure, especially if it was viewed from the best possible vantage point. And, knowing all this, there was only one place to view a sunset perfectly: the Hokage monument.

It was there that the guest and entertainer were currently were currently taking in the view, plates of dango and sake bottles beside them.

"Oi, prince," Anko looked to the prince after taking a sip of sake, her features bathed by the receding sunlight. "Are you supposed to be drinking; you're fifteen, aren't you?"

The prince just gave her a mirthless chuckle, one that caused Anko to stare slightly, and took another gulp from the bottle of wine he had with him. "I can talk down a daimyo, Anko; surely I can handle a little alcohol." He looked at her and sent a foxy grin her way.

The kunoichi just grinned back before taking a bite from a dango and washing it down with sake. "No shit," she looked around, taking in the sight of empty bottles. "Five bottles of sake, and a bottle of wine, and it's only _now_ you get tipsy; really kid, you're something else." Her red face, brought about by the drinks, showed obvious amazement being acquainted with a teen that was resistant to alcohol to such a degree.

His, only turning, pink face looked at her with slight amusement. "Drinking is as much a part of politics as any other aspect; one must learn to hold one's own against its effects before a scrutinizing crowd." He told her, taking another sip.

The pair remained that way, just enjoying their snacks and beverages while drowning in the beauty that was a fire country sunset.

The sky was turning black when one of them spoke again.

"You're insane, you know that, kid?" Anko just finished the last bottle of sake, and was quite drunk.

"Oh?" the prince asked, in the same state as the female. "Why am I insane, _Anko-chan_?" he added a smooth, sultry undertone to the last word.

_Flirting with me again?_ Anko asked herself. _This kid's really something else._ "The fight earlier; do you seriously want me evaluate?"

The prince shrugged as he played with one of his special kunai, a pitch black, dull iron blade, twirling the weapon between his fingers. "I'm not stopping you…"

~TtT~

The snakes were sent flying backwards shortly after the technique was used.

_What the-_ Anko decided to act fast and flipped through several seals and said: "**Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu**!" the giant fireball was sent flying at the male. The kunoichi watched with satisfaction as the orb of combusting oxygen burned a scorching path forward.

_Still, what was that jutsu he used? _She thought when the fire reached the area the prince was standing on.

Although, one thing that she hadn't expected was to see five, black kunai fly out from the fireball towards her.

Taking advantage of the distance between her and the prince, Anko managed to dodge the kunai with relative ease; it was the kunai, themselves, however, that caught her attention:

They reminded her of Namikaze Minato's _Hiraishin no jutsu _kunai, with slight differences. It was made of a pitch-black metal, one that had no shine. It still had the two side-prongs, but the main, center, blade was jagged, or, rather, lightning shaped; there was no sealing inscription on the kunai handles, but the blade was encrypted with six _Magatama_ forming a circle, of sorts, with the points facing outward.

_What's with the kunai?_ Unfortunately for the snake mistress, she was brought out of her mental sanctuary by the sound of someone stepping over a stick; she turned around, just in time to block a strike from a _tanto_, a short, Japanese-style sword; it was about one foot long, and, apparently, made of the same black metal as the kunai.

"Anko-chan," the prince spoke with the same seductive undertone as he did earlier. "Do you think it is wise to be distracted by your own jutsu?" he maintained their position while raising his free hand, which held another tanto, for a second strike.

Not wanting to be hit by the attack, Anko jumped back; and, in quick reaction, the prince stopped in mid-swing while another special kunai shot out from under his sleeve, piercing the kunoichi's collar area

The male turned around in time to block a kunai that was aimed at his spinal column.

"Your pretty sharp, aren't you, kid?" Anko said, from her place, sitting atop a tree branch at the edge of the clearing. The prince just kept his attention on her as the Anko behind him dissolved into mud.

_So, he noticed the mud clone._ Anko eyed him while sending occasional glances to the latter's kunai. "What's with the kunai, kid; anything special about them?" the prince looked at her blankly; he threw his tanto to the ground, making them pierce through the earth in the process. And threw another pair of kunai, that came from his sleeves, at the girl.

Anko blocked the two kunai, and jumped of the tree as the prince impacted on the branch. She ran backward, throwing kunai and shuriken as she did so in an attempt to keep the prince occupied. She readied herself to use another jutsu when she caught the prince fumbling through the pockets of hi Haori.

She decided to wait, curious to know what he was planning.

Her attention was called forth when the teen spoke to her as he continued his actions: "Those are special kunai;" he told her. "I won't tell you _why_ they are special," he took out something that looked like a collapsible hanger from his Haori, and opened it. "But you may find out, sooner or later." He then began to remove his Haori, then unbutton his shirt.

Anko smirked as she spoke: "Oi, kid, are you sure you want to do that here?" she slid the shoulder area of her coat down, showing the prince he neck and shoulders, causing him to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"What on earth are you talking about?" he was now topless, and he hung his shirt and Haori from the hangar, leaving him in his Hakama.

Anko took in the sight: he had a fair amount of muscle, noticeable, but not overly so; but it was not that that caught her attention; no, it was all the scars that riddled his body.

_Damn._ Was what she commented. _His body looks almost like Ibiki's, and that's saying something._ The special jounin though. _Well, at least he doesn't have any missing chunks of flesh, but still…_

The sight was, indeed, something else: the scars were, apparently, made by blades; lots of them.

She also noticed a Magatama necklace around his neck made of the same black material as his tanto and kunai.

"I am not insinuating any such action, Anko-chan," his tone changed again, making use of a suggestive undertone, as he said his next line. "Although, I certainly wouldn't mind doing so;" he jumped down from the tree, leaving the hangar on a branch. "… Just not _now_."

The implication of actually going through with the jest caused a slight pink tinge to appear on Anko's face, but he spoke again before she could say anything

"I, for one," he walked toward his tanto, and picked them up. "… do not want to get my clothes soiled in the fight; they were made to look good, Anko-chan; I do not want to walk around Konohagakure with my robes on tatters." He twirled his tanto, and entered a battle stance. "Shall we continue then?"

Anko put her coat on again, and charged into battle.

~TtT~

"And?" the prince looked at her, keeping away his kunai. "I still don't see how you can prove my mental state of mind with what happened earlier today."

Anko's expression became one of disinterested boredom, obviously towards the teen's argument. She stood up, dusted herself, and began to pick the bottles up. "Yeah, yeah; help me with these bottles, will you?" he joined her in the labor without complain. "It's already dark; I'd better take you back to the hotel." He nodded, and they began their trek down the mountain. "The old man is going to want to hear about what we did today."

The prince smirked again before saying: "If that's the case, your report shouldn't be too long; you just spent the morning at the hotel, waiting for me to '_wake up_', and spent the afternoon sparring with Me." Anko looked to him with a grin, her eyes sparkling.

"I presume I will be meeting you again?" he asked, not looking at her, when they entered the city proper. Anko noticed the, slightly, dark tone he made use of.

"Yes, princes-sama," she decided to speak to him professionally, as of now, as he appeared to be doing the same thing. "That would be the case."

The silence the followed dragged on for a few minutes until both ninja could see the hotel in the distance.

"I am glad," Anko looked to the prince, surprised at his sudden change of attitude of flirty to serious to grateful. "I had a great time Anko-chan, and I would be happy to have you take me around Konoha, if you are willing to, of course."

Anko let the words sink in before she noticed something in their meaning, something she did not expect.

"Hold on," she raised her palm, as though indicating him to stop. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

The prince's smirk became a full-blown grin when he heard her say this; the action reminded Anko of a certain genin whose exam she proctored. "All I said was that I wanted you to take me on a tour of Konoha, but if you want to call it a date, then a date it shall be."

He turned his back to her, and entered the hotel before she could say anything else.

It was a good ten minutes before Anko managed to put herself together, and depart for the Hokage's tower.

~TtT~

Shizune burst into the Hokage's office, panting with exhaustion. She looked around the office to see Anko handing Hiruzen a written report.

"Hokage-sama!" Shizune said between pants.

"What is it, Shizune?" Hiruzen said, concerned for his student's first protégé. "What's got you so riled up in the middle of the night?"

Shizune just kept silent as she gave the kage a scroll.

"What does it say?" he eyed her, the old man's brows were scrunched together, making known his worry. Shizune shook her head.

Hiruzen nodded as he opened the scroll.

After reading through it, Hiruzen's eyes widened. He looked to the ceiling, and reread the contents once more. _This is far from good news._ Was all Hiruzen managed to think before his attention was called by Anko.

"What is it; what's wrong, Hokage-sama?" the woman asked, visibly disturbed by the kage's reaction to the scroll.

The old kage had opened his mouth to answer when he heard the window behind him open.

All the room's three occupants readied themselves for an attack, but, fortunately for them, they were met with the purple eyes of a fox that was holding a scroll between its teeth.

~TtT~

The prince entered his room; it was dark and silent, a fact that did not surprise him. He filled a glass with wine and went to the side with the window.

_The place is peaceful,_ he thought. _So different from back home._

_Konoha is a superpower, that is for certain, but for how long? The village had become lax in the years following the yondaime's death, but, at least, the place managed to shape up before Oto staged its attack, but still, Konohagakure is along way from becoming ready for a war._

"You know," the prince said, still looking out the window of his room. "It's impolite to stare; I would have expected something better from Konoha's _prized_ Uchiha." He said, the slightest tinge of bitterness was laced with his voice.

Uchiha Sasuke stepped into the little light that the moon gave the room, his Sharingan activated; the Uchiha prodigy just continued to glare at the prince's back as the latter took another sip of wine.

"Do you intend to intimidate me with your Kekkei Genkai, Uchiha?" the prince, still, refused to grace the Uchiha with his face, but continued to speak to the latter. "I might as well tell you that I find such a thing nothing to be afraid of."

Silence took precedence after the prince said his words; it was after the prince took another sip, did the uninvited guest speak:

"What do you know of Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Getting straight to the point, are we, Uchiha-chan?" the prince took another sip from his glass. "What, on earth, makes you think I know something about this 'Uzumaki' person?"

Sasuke's fists clenched before he answered. _Is he insulting me by not showing me his face?_ "Don't play me for a fool, prince." Sasuke seethed. "I know the role that Ame played in the counter invasion, and I know that the retreating Oto forces detoured to the land of rain in order to find safe haven with the Sand.

"Ame keeps records of all the prisoners of war, and sent them back. Only one prisoner was not returned." Sasuke could see the prince the prince clench his fist. _I'm on the right track._

"Uzumaki Naruto was the only Konoha nin that was not accounted for, dead or otherwise; he disappeared of the face of the earth, and was declared dead by the Hokage." Sasuke's Sharingan changed, becoming a six point nova symbol. "But that isn't true, is it, _Naruto_?"

The prince turned around while downing the remaining contents of his glass, his eyes closed. Afterwards, he looked to the Uchiha with a blank expression, but Sasuke felt like he was being looked down upon.

It was at this time that Sasuke decided to look the prince in the eye; what he saw made his eyes widen as he took a step back.

The prince's purple eyes took on a grayish hue as the purple took over the white, and a series of black rings took form around the central pupil.

The eyes glowed softly as the prince said his next words:

"I won't deny it, Sasuke-_chan_. I am, very much, alive."

* * *

**Notes on honorifics:**

Chan – please take note that chan does not necessarily have any romantic implications. It is used as an honorific for a female of equal age or a male/female of younger years. In the context of the prince's use, it serves to belittle Sasuke by referring to him as though he was younger then the former, despite being of the same age.

Kun- like 'chan,' kun does not necessarily have romantic implications; it is used to refer to a male of the same age, or a male/female older than oneself.

(no honorific) – can mean many things. I will explain in the next chapter, hopefully.

**Questions:**

What do you think of the commentary given by the characters at the start of the chapter?

So far, have my characters been ooc? (do not include the prince)

What do you think of the fight scene? It was my first, and I would like your input on the matter.

Is the prince _seriously_ taking Anko on a date?

What is the news the Hokage received; and what is the fox doing in the office holding a scroll?

Any comments on Sasuke's and the prince's scene?

What was with the eyes if the pair in the last scene?

What do you think of the prince's personality as you look at the recent occurances?


	5. Understanding: One

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, although…

* * *

Okay, so here is the next chapter:

Responses:

**Eterguy**: I thank you deeply for the detailed review.

**Paladin13**, **Where** **r** **my** **Chips**, and **PeKan**: thank you for answering my questions.

Thank you to **the** **rest** **of** **you**.

Sincerely,

**Toph** **the** **Trickster

* * *

**

Chapter Five:

Understanding:

One:

The Secret of Ino's Mission

"_The intricacies of war and politics are difficult thing to understand; there are simply just too many ways to get by it._

"_I am speaking from experience when I tell you that the possible outcomes of any, singular, action can have consequences that branch out to all through the shinobi nations, and beyond._

"_Yet, there is also the fact that each outcome may be brought about by different means, and those same means may bring about colossal effects to everything around us._

"_But if you try to understand how these things happen, you will see that there may be no real way to get the exact results we wan._

"_Why?_

"_Well, there are so many factors that can cause a change of plans; but, I will probably have to say that people cause the biggest change as they are the most unpredictable._

"_And it is in that regard that you can find the skills of the Prince of Rain and the Shodai Amekage to be at their full potential."_

_-Jiraiya of the Sannin_

~TtT~

The night was cold.

Sakura didn't know why; she just felt cold.

But, maybe, if she thinks about all the thinks that have crossed her mind, it would actually make sense to feel an unnatural coldness coming from the world around her.

Sakura had spoken to Ino, and the blonde had relayed the information circulating among the Konoha populace.

_The Prince of Rain huh?_ Sakura let the cold water of her shower caress her skin as the kunoichi tried to remove all else, and, hopefully, think with perfect lucidity.

With her mind clear, Sakura tried to recall everything that transpired at the Yamanaka flower shop earlier that day:

~TtT~

"Wait," Ino raised her right hand, indicating Sakura to stop speaking. "So you mean to say that _the_ Prince of Rain is here; in Konoha, now?" the blonde's eyes flashed surprise while that of the other medic's filled with a void, the kind caused by ignorance rather than emotional incompletion.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she spoke: "What do you mean by '_the_' Prince of Rain?"

"You haven't heard of the Prince before, Sakura?" this time, Ino flashed Sakura an indignant look. "Shouldn't you have some exposure to the military and political arena, being Tsunade's apprentice, and all? Sakura, Tsunade-sensei works directly under the Hokage!"

Sakura could only shake hear head negatively as her answer.

Ino sighed, and spoke again: "Anyway," she looked to her friend. "I, honestly, can't say that I know too much about him, either." The blonde opened the window, letting the wind and the sound of singing birds enter the room; Sakura felt a little more relaxed at the feelings that accompanied such an ambience.

The pair looks to a tree that stood on the Yamanaka's front yard, enjoying the view, as well as being thankful of the birds that it attracted.

"It happened about a year ago," Ino said, suddenly, causing Sakura to snap her head from the view and turn to the blonde. "Shika' and I were sent to check out the Iwa order as there was a civilian merchant that claimed to have seen Iwa Nin congregating in a war council.

"The first half of the mission went smoothly; we decided to take the shorter route through Kusagakure, and we made it there in time for the, so-called, war council to start." Ino stood up and began to tend to a rose that had started to wilt. "the complications, however, happened later, when Shika' and I were on our way back."

"Why; what happened?" Sakura asked, genuinely curious; it became apparent, then, to Ino that Sakura must not have heard of the mission. _Hokage-sama must have classified it._ Ino continued to tend to the rose.

"We were originally going to take a southern Kusa route, but we were blocked-off by the Iwa border patrol; what's worse, an Iwa Nin at the war council saw us, and immediately suspected a plot; the bastard sent, at least, thirty Iwa jounin to hunt us down." Ino's free hand visibly clenched as she remembered what had happened.

"The blockade caused by the hunters removed the option of passing through Takigakure, and that left us with one passable route." Ino took a watering can, and began to water the dying plant.

"Amegakure." Was all Sakura said; Ino nodded.

~TtT~

"Hurry up, Ino!" Shikamaru said as the pair leaped through the trees. "We need to get to the Iwa-Ame border before we-." Shikamaru's statement was cut short when he felt a kunai fly past him, giving the genin a small cut at the side of his neck.

"Shika!" Ino cried in concern when she saw the blood.

"What!?" he said, annoyed. "It's just a tiny cut, Ino; don't be so troublesome about it." He jumped from another branch, and drew his own kunai. "Besides, we need to keep moving; if they can already take a snag at me means that they're closing in.

"We seriously need to get to the border, _now_." Shikamaru finished as he looked over his shoulder, and gave Ino a serious once-over; doing so reminded him of his own condition as well.

Ino did not look good; her purple clothes were torn and frayed at the edges, some of the parts having been snared by the surrounding plants or Iwa weaponry. Bruises, scratches, and cuts littered her body, the sight of which brought no comfort to the Nara genius.

Shikamaru didn't really look any better, if he did not look worse; his black, long-sleeved shirt was hanging, open at the front, and he was bleeding from several gashes.

"But Shika," Ino pleaded, "Your injuries need to be treated; you're loosing too much blood." She put a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop, but he just shrugged her off.

"As much as I find running with a useless left arm troublesome," Shika looked back to her again, albeit his gaze was one of concern, this time. "We need to get to safety first. It would be useless for you to heal my injury if we both will end up dead anyway."

Ino, having nothing to say against his logic, just kept quiet, and tried to resist the urge to knock him out to heal him. _He's right; we need to prioritize getting to safety._

The pair remained silent, only the sound of rustling leaves accompanying them.

It was sunset, half an hour later, when they arrived at a clearing.

"We're here." Was all Shikamaru could say. "Let's go." he took a step forward, but, unfortunately, his wounds and blood loss caused the boy to collapse.

"Shika!" Ino cried as she caught her companion, falling to the ground from the momentum. "Get a hold of yourself!" she began to apply her healing to his wounds, starting with the most grievous of the lot. "Don't you _dare_ die on me, Shika. What makes you think you can just up and leave, huh?" her eyes began to water, but she kept the tears at bay, barely. "We still need to get this to Hokage-sama, and I will not have you ruin my _perfect_ mission record by making me arrive at Konoha alone; I refuse to have, even half, a failure. Do you here me, Nara Shikamaru?" she gripped the bleeding boy in her arms a little tighter, sensing the Nara boy's breathing become ragged.

Despite all the emotion pouring through, the blonde's eyes widen when she fells Shikamaru grabs her arms in vice-like grip and whispers to her ear:

"Leave me, Ino."

The barriers finally break as all the tears that Ino held back were free to cascade down her face in torrents. She clenches her fists, and makes to scream at him, but-

"How sweet," both genin look in the direction of the voice to see, about, twenty to thirty Iwa shinobi looking at them; all of them armed to the teeth. "The kids are having a little love before the blood; don't worry, boy," the leader looks to the, barely conscious, Shikamaru. "We'll take care of your woman for you; well, as much as she'll take care of us, that is." The other Nin laugh with the leader, understanding the meaning of the latter's words.

Ino held Shikamaru a little tighter, and glared at the Iwa-nin, her features contorting with fear, pain, and anger.

"Run, Ino." She looked to her partner, her eyes wide. "Run, please." Shikamaru pleaded with her, and moved to stand.

"No, Shika," Ino said with trembling lips, and a shaking head. "I refuse."

The two stared each other down; each trying to change the latter's decision; each ignoring the torment around them.

That is, until the pair heard a gasp that runs through the crowd of Iwa shinobi.

Ino turns to the sight, Shikamaru too weak to move, to see the leading Iwa-nin on the ground, with a kunai sticking out his forehead; the Iwa shinobi panic.

"Ame!" shouted the Nin that stood beside the leader. "Get ready you bastards!" the Nin got into battle formation as the sound of rustling leaves, and clapping thunder filled the air.

The blonde looked around her to see shinobi coming out of the underbrush, about six of them, all wearing the forehead protector of the hidden rain. Feeling a presence beside her, Ino looked to her left to see a man in a large black, shin-length coat with a collar that covered his face up to the base of his nose; the sleeves were wide and reached until, past, his palms. He had a large, wide-brimmed, straw hat on his head, and black pants and Nin sandals.

At the back of his coat was a white diamond that had the symbol of the hidden rain printed on it.

_What?_ That was the lone thought that dominated the Yamanaka's mind. _What are they doing here?_

"You are trespassing on Ame territory," a voice said, coming from the darkness. "Iwa is not welcome here, leave." The voice was cold and demanding, not leaving any room for argument. Ino could hear the sound of footsteps coming toward them, revealing to the light the identity of the speaker.

That was when the rain fell.

No, it did not start with a drizzle, and build up to a storm, it began with the rain of endless torrents; lightning flashed and thunder clapped every three minutes.

"By order of the Prince of Rain, and with the Approval of the Shodai Amekage, all Iwa, military, trespassers are to be executed where they stand." Said a purple-eyed, red-furred fox; it approached, and sat down, beside Ino. "No more; no less."

The rain continued to fall, causing Ino's, Shikamaru's, and the fox's hair run with the water. And, among other things, Ino noticed the fact that the fox had black piercings on its face and ears.

_I-I-is that a-an A-Ame R-Royal F-Fox?_ Even in her thoughts, the blonde stuttered. _A-and i-i-It talks!_

She was interrupted from her thoughts when a group, consisting of over fifty Iwa shinobi jumped from the tree line across the border, and began to charge forward.

Of course, the twenty-five Ame ninja began their own counter-attack.

The shinobi in the coat immediately began to run through a long series of seals.

"I need time!" he called out; an Ame jounin answered him:

"No problem; how much do you need?"

The man in the coat looked to his companion, then looked to the charging Iwa reinforcements who were still a good hundred meters away.

"Give me a minute;" he continued his seals while talking. "Just slow them down with range weaponry, that aught to work." The jounin nodded in confirmation. "Thanks." The one in the hat answered. "Good luck, and be careful; these Iwa Nin are ruthless."

The jounin stood straight, and gave his superior a salute. "Yes, sir!" and he charged into battle.

Ino watched in amazement; the Ame ninja were fighting against a group twice their number, and managed to hold their own. They were not winning; by no means, no, but they managed to stay alive. The mere fact that they were fighting two-on-one was a fact as it is, but the fact that they could keep the battle as a stalemate, despite the odds, impressed Ino.

"Child," Ino looked to the fox, her eyes widening as the realization dawned on her once again. "You, and your companion, are from Konoha, are you not?"

"YOU'RE TALKING!!!" Ino pointed an accusing finger at the fox as she said her words.

The fox just sighed. "Well, you are welcome as well." He then turned his attentions to the dying Shikamaru, who was barely able to hold on to consciousness.

"He needs a medic." Ino said, also looking to her child-hood friend, her expression immediately turning solemn. "Please," she said to the fox, pleadingly. "Help him; I would heal him, but I no longer have enough chakra." The fox looked to her, and nodded.

"Can you at least carry him?" he asked, turning to Ino; she shook her head.

"Well, if that is the case…" the fox trailed off as he turned to the man in the cloak. "Sui, are you ready?"

The shinobi with the hat did not give an answer, but just slammed his hands together and shouted: "**Suiton: Kyuudaisuiryuudan no Jutsu**!!"

At the last note of his words, the water that near him, falling or fallen from the rain, gathered together into a ball. It gradually grew, gathering more and more water until the ball was the size of his person.

Upon reaching this size, the ball burst, and formed into nine water dragons twice the size of the normal water dragon.

Seeing the dragons, the fox turned to the charging Ame-nin, about to engage in close combat with the Iwa intruders, and called to them, its voice booming: "AME, FALL BACK, NOW!"

Following the order passed by the fox, the Ame-nin retreated immediately; thus, giving the nine water dragons clear shots at the attacking Nin. Of course, the shinobi controlling the dragons took the opportunity and sent his dragons forward, taking down tens of Iwa shinobi at a time, sending many of them flying.

After a good five minutes of using the jutsu, the dragons collapsed on themselves, and fell to the ground, leaving the remaining Iwa to the mercy of the Ame.

The fox remained emotionless as it said its next words: "Teams three and five, kill them." Ino felt slightly intimidated by the way the fox spoke; it was cold and detached, as though it was used to giving such an order.

"Commander," Ino and the fox turned to see a twelve-year-old girl with long, silver hair, tied in a high ponytail, running toward them. "A jounin said you might have needed a medic so…" she stopped dead when she saw Shikamaru; she turned to the fox once more. "Is he-?"

"Yes, Yue." The fox answered. "I want you to heal both of them…" he trailed off as he looked to her side, as though to check if she was alone. "And where are Kikyo and Onigumo?"

She walks to Ino and Shikamaru. "They're enjoying themselves." She gestured to the melee occurring with the remaining Iwa Nin; the fox just deadpanned. "Oh, don't be like that, commander Ningendo." She smiled. "It would have been useless for the prince to have sent us here if we were not to participate in the fight." She looked to Ino while the fox left. "Hello, one-san, may I check your boyfriend, please." She was polite, and gentle.

Ino, too weak to argue with regard to Yue's assumption, placed her companion on the ground so that the younger girl could treat him.

After an hour, both Ino and Shikamaru were no longer in danger of dying.

"Sorry I couldn't heal you two completely," Yue apologized as she finished the last of Ino's bandages. "Ame is not so well-informed with medical jutsu." Ino nodded, and thanked her for the help, and for saving her partner's life.

"So you're from Konoha, huh?" Yue said, when she noticed the forehead protectors. Ino just nodded, still feeling too weak to speak. "Anyway," Yue said as she stood up. "Try to rest; we'll see what we can do with you when the all of this is finished." The silver-haired girl walked away, returning to the larger group of rain-nin that were not participating in the fight.

_Thank goodness, Shika._ Ino looked to her partner, and leaned against the tree. _You'll make it…_ and, without her knowing it, sleep claimed the blonde fourteen-year-old.

* * *

This chapter took longer than anticipated, so expect a part two as Ino's story is not yet done.

Questions:

What is your opinion regarding this chapter's account (the italicized part at the start)?

What do you think of Ino's and Shikamaru's mission, so far?

What do you think the relation of Ino's story to the prince is?

What role do you think the kids, Yue, Kikyo, and Onigumo, will play?

Input, please, for the chuunin exams?


	6. Understanding: Two

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; that is all.

* * *

Hello everyone, I hope you are excited for this installment of the Prince of Rain.

Paimon, Nana-chan753- thank you for the well-though input.

MiseryluvsDeath – of course, I have my reasons for giving the flashbacks detail, you know: it is a method of giving the flashback a higher degree of importance, and whatnot.

PeKan – thank you for answering the questions.

Everyone else – thank you very much for sticking with me so far; I hope you still enjoy reading this fic, and I hope I can continue to please.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

Chapter Six:

Understanding:

Two:

Ame's impression

"_There is nothing beautiful in war, at least not to those who have suffered at its hands._

"_All things considered, I, myself am a victim of war; a victim of death, a victim of pain._

"_Yet, in all these things, I have found that, in war, the beauty is not found within it, but beyond it. War creates pain; war creates suffering, but, regardless of all these things, war creates change._

"_And it is that change that will help lead the world to peace."_

_-The Amekage._

~TtT~

Ino rubbed her eyes as she tried to make herself aware of everything around her.

"Oi, Ino," Ino immediately recognized the voice, and it caused her eyes to widen. "Wake up; the-."

"SHIKA!" Ino lunged at her partner, not giving him the opportunity to finish his question.

Ino continued to snuggle against the male until she felt him shudder and gasp in pain, causing the blonde to freeze.

"Shika, are you alright?" she whispers to his ear.

"I wouldn't be too rough on him, if I were you." She heard from their bedside. "He's still a little weakened; he'll need more rest." Said a twelve-year-old boy with long black hair tied into a French braid, which fell past his shoulder blades, at the back of his head.

Ino just gave the stranger a curious look until she felt Shikamaru's hand on her shoulder. "This is Onigumo," he told her. "He's been telling me about what happened last night." Ino, from her place on Shikamaru's chest, looked to the youngest person in the room.

"Hello, Yamanaka-san," the boy, politely, extended his hand. "I am Sui Onigumo; I have been discussing last night's events with your companion."

Ino shook the boy's hand before looking around. "Where are we?"

Onigumo looked to the door, as though expecting something, or rather, someone. "We are in the medical tent of our camp," He looked back to the pair. "Three hours of a journey south from where we encountered you."

Ino just stared at the boy that was wearing white fur: a thick coat, with short sleeves, and a rear train that reached his ankles; he had white pants that had patches of fur, placed like metal plates, at the thighs, knees, and shins; his forearms were protected by silver gauntlets that had the same white, hairy substance decorating the joints; he had several brown, leather sashes, the only thing that lacked _any_ semblance of white or silver, hung around his shoulder and waist; Ino noticed kunai, scrolls, and even several vials hung from the said pieces of animal hide, and his forehead protector was stitched to his left breast like a badge.

Her attention was taken from her observations when the person being observed said something to her: "Hey," she caught him scratching the back of his head. "Sorry for putting you two on the same bed, but, we were short on beds and, with the way you two were acting around each other…" he brought his arm down again. "Well, you know."

It was after he said this that Ino noticed her position: not only was she resting on Shikamaru, their legs were intertwined, resulting in Ino's face becoming as red as a tomato. She looked to Shikamaru's face to see him just as red.

"Sorry," he looked away. "It sort of happened while we were asleep."

Onigumo gave a hearty laugh at seeing the two leaf-nin blush. "It seems that our assumptions were not that far off."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean!?" Ino looked to him, the former's face still flushed. Onigumo was still looking at her when a fox entered through the door accompanied by, who Ino recognized as, Yue and another girl.

"What the boy means is not important right now." The fox said. "There are other priorities that take precedence, as of the moment." Its tone was regal and dignified, as though it held a high position.

_Judging from how it was ordering people around, it probably does._ Ino pointed out to herself.

"Hello, are you feeling better now?" Ino looked to Yue who was eying both the former and the former's companion worriedly.

Ino nodded, taking in the sight of Yue in her blue robes; they were long and flowing but were bound to her body by white ribbon; she wore fishnet on the places that had exposed flesh; her kunai holster was tied to her right thigh, two silver gauntlets on her arms, forehead protector on her head, parts of the blue cloth covered by the silver hair that was spared from the pony tail, and white scarf, made from wolf's hide, tied around her neck, its train falling down the right side of her back and fell level with her knees. Ino also noticed the wolf's head, used as a fastener to keep the scarf in its place, Yue's right shoulder, the said object facing forward.

"That's good," Yue said. "You're still too weak to walk though." She looked to Onigumo, who was talking animatedly to the other girl. "One of Onigumo's recipes should be able to do the trick though." Yue said more to herself then anyone, and looked back. "But I doubt you trust us enough to take some unknown substance, now are you?" it was Shikamaru who responded, agreeing with her.

The silver-haired medic frowned. "Sorry, but I didn't catch your names; would you two mind?"

Shikamaru and Ino looked to each other, trying to come to a decision; they nodded as Ino took the role of introducing her partner and herself.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, and this is my teammate: Nara Shikamaru." She gestured to herself and her partner, respectively.

Yue, nodding after hearing the names, followed suite. "Alright then," she grinned slightly, moving her hand in the direction of Onigumo. "That, there, is Sui Onigumo." Neither Ino nor Shikamaru decided to say that the pair had already made an acquaintance in the male Ame-nin. "As you already know," Yue gave them a shallow bow, her eyes to the ground as she did so. "I'm Yue; Mesu Yue." Standing straight once more, she gestured to the other girl. "That's Nehan Kikyo," and, moving her hand toward the fox. "And that is Ningendo, our current team captain."

Kikyo was dressed in a black kimono and a white Hakama, the latter tied down by a classic obi; her chest area was wrapped around by, what appeared to Ino to be, many sutra scrolls, inscribed with the kanji for the word familiar. Her weapons holster was located at the right side of her waist, and she had several, open storage scrolls hanging down from the other side, the pieces of paper swaying with her every move.

"Thank you for the introductions, Yue;" Ningendo walked over; it was then that Ino noticed the fact that the fox had black earrings on both its ears. "But we have to discuss several other things with our guests." The fox looked to the two that were lying on the bed; he then turned to Onigumo. "Onigumo," the said boy immediately looked to his superior. "Can you prepare one of your mixes for these two? I do believe that they are strong enough to handle its effects." The fox looked to the leaf-nin again. "I assume that you two are in a hurry?"

The pair nodded.

"Alright, then." The animal turned to the silent girl, Kikyo. "Can you help Onigumo find his brother? If I remember correctly, I saw him hunting down for some herbs. Onigumo, does what _is_ your brother doing looking for herbs?"

"I had Toyotomi-niisan look for the herbs that I might need as I was assigned to keep watch over the leaf-nin, and couldn't leave." The boy answered, quickly and confidently.

"I see." The fox looked out the tent entrance. "I can safely, assume, then, that you were going to give them your medicine anyway?"

"I would have; in the case that they may have needed it, taichou."

"Good foresight, Sui Onigumo." The fox looked to the boy, the beast grinning at the latter. "Your sensei would be proud."

"Forgive me, taichou," everyone looked to Kikyo, who spoke for the first time since she came in the tent. "But I think that Onigumo and I should go find Toyotomi-niisan now, lest we keep sensei waiting any longer." She looked to the other twelve-year-old, Kikyo's face showing off a tiny smile; Onigumo returned the action, neither action escaping the notice of Ino.

"I concur." Onigumo said, turning to Shikamaru and Ino, and bowing. "If you excuse us, Nara-san, Yamanaka-san; Kikyo and I will now take our leave."

"Oh just leave already." Ningendo letting loose a hearty laugh, shooing the two Ame-genin away.

"Forgive me for my rudeness," Shikamaru broke the light atmosphere shortly after the Onigumo and Kikyo left the tent. "As I don't mean to be ungrateful or anything, but what will happen to Ino and I now?" the male's seriousness surprised the remaining two females in the room, but the fox remained unaffected.

The fox gave the teen a grin, making him move backwards involuntarily, well, at least as much as he could move with a certain Yamanaka Ino lying on his chest.

"I will not lie to you, Nara; you deserve that much." The fox said. "We, my associates and I, have no authority to have anything done to you-."

"Then that means that you will take us to someone who will." Shikamaru finished for the Ningendo.

The fox nodded. "Indeed, we will. Don't worry, though; the prince is quite lenient to those from fire country."

There were several pieces of information that would have piqued the interest of others, although, Ino found one particular word that interested her:

"Prince?" she said, leaning on her elbow, lifting her head, and part of her upper body, from her partner's chest. "Are you talking about the Prince of Rain?"

"Who else would they be talking about?" Shikamaru asked the blonde. "Who else in Ame would hold the title of prince?" he looked to Ningendo. "But still: what does the prince have to do with this?"

"The Prince would be our superior." Said an eighteen-year-old as he entered. Ino, immediately, recognized him as Sui, the shinobi who used the dragon jutsu the night before. He still wore the same outfit, albeit lacking the hat; his forehead protestor was tied to his left arm, much like Shikamaru, and his brown dreadlocks fell to past his coat's collar, effectively hiding their true length.

"And, in our case," Kikyo said, carrying a wicker basket filled with herbs. "The prince would be our sensei."

The oldest man in the tent sent Ino and Shikamaru a smile before introducing himself: "I'm glad to see you two are doing fine; I am Sui Toyotomi, Onigumo's older brother."

"Nice to meet you as well, Toyotomi-san." Shikamaru said, with a yawn. "Would any of you _please_ be willing to help me off this bed; and can you get Ino off me? She may not be that heavy, but having her on me for nearly twelve hours can really become troublesome."

Everyone in the room laughed; all of them except Ino, who quickly became indignant.

"No problem," Onigumo called as Kikyo placed the herbs on one of the tables, and the former began to rummage through the contents. "I'll have the medicine ready for you in ten minutes; fifteen tops."

"Wow," Ino said, letting her head lean to Shikamaru's chest again, not caring about the presence of other people around them. "That's pretty quick."

Kikyo smiled. "You don't know the half of it."

The room remained silent, other then the chatting of the girls and the sounds coming from the table that Onigumo was working at.

"It seems that I finished earlier then expected." Onigumo joked, a little past five minutes later. "The quality of the ingredients let me finish without preparing a concentrator; niisan, can you please take note of the location you found the herbs?" the preteen finished as he handed Shikamaru and Ino a glass, each, of a cold liquid that what looked like, in Shikamaru's opinion, to be green tea.

Toyotomi nodded to his younger brother. "I already did, just in case you wanted to know of any nearby sources of ingredients for one of your recipes." He looked to the two on the bed, as they were helped to a sitting position by the two Ame kunoichi. "By the way, have you gotten the prince's recipe ready?"

Onigumo grinned as he held up a large vial of crimson liquid.

"Here it is: the prince's special poison, reserved for his daily consumption." He sounded almost nonchalant.

Both Ino and Shikamaru were about to drink their medicine when they froze and their eyes went wide. "Poison?" they said simultaneously.

~TtT~

"So, that was it; we met with the prince; we were informed that Konoha had already been alerted, and the village already had a team sent to pick us up.

"While the team was on their way, the prince talked with us; he even gave us some gifts." Ino who had paused a while in order to get something from the back, showed Sakura a black, three-pronged kunai with a jagged blade, and six Magatama, forming a circle, pointing outward, engraved into the steel.

"What kind of kunai is that?" Sakura asked.

"I honestly don't know." Ino replied, as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with being ignorant of another person's weapon. "He just told Shika and I that, should we ever be in the danger of death, we should throw the kunai at that which threatens what we hold dear."

"Pretty wise words." Sakura said, looking out the window once again.

A thought occurred to the pink-haired girl.

"Wait, the fox talked?"

"Yeah," Ino said, feeling slightly amused at remembering her own reaction. "Pretty unbelievable, isn't it."

"Not really," Sakura answered. "Summons talk; so it shouldn't be that unbelievably, right?"

"Guess so."

"So, did you see him?"

Ino's eyebrows scrunched together as she thought of it. "Who; are you talking about the Prince?"

"Duh, pig." Sakura said, pouting angrily at her friend. "Who else would I ask about?"

Ino's eyes immediately clouded over, trying to recall the memories. "I never really got to see his face. He used some sort of jutsu to make himself appear as some sort of fuzzy image; the fox said that the prince was using some sort of long-ranged communication jutsu."

"So you never saw him?"

The blonde shook her head. "No."

"I have."

~TtT~

"Naruto!" Sakura called, waving at the blond that was standing in front of the fourth Hokage's tombstone. _He's alive… _she thought. _He's alive! He's here._ She ran forward, her form unwavering despite the tremors that shook her body; tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're here! You're-!"

She never finished her sentence.

The boy at the memorial, hearing someone scream, turned to look at the source of the sound, revealing his purple eyes, clear face, and black earrings; thus making his identity known.

Sakura stopped dead, her eyes wide. _Of course… he couldn't be here._ Her shoulders began to shake. _Naruto couldn't be here because… because…_

She finally broke down.

Her sobs echoed through the area, only heard by the Prince of Rain and the red fox.

"Are you alright?" Sakura looked up, her eyes red and puffy, to see the prince standing in front of her; his face emotionless, but his eyes, barely, showing concern.

Sakura just stared. She had just embarrassed herself in front of a political guest from another country. How was she supposed to respond to that?

_He must think I'm emotional now or something; I just hope it doesn't affect his opinion of the village._

Sakura got up and gave the prince a low bow. "Forgive me, prince-dono. I was not myself right now; I-."

"Saw someone that reminded you of someone you had lost." He finished for her, causing the kunoichi to look up. "And, judging from the lack of people here," he looked around then looked back down at her, gazing her in the eye; purple meeting jade-green. "That would be me."

They stayed that way, the wind blowing some of the fallen leaves around them; neither moved, both content to staring at each other's eyes until Sakura heard the fox yawn.

"I guess that you're right," she bowed again, but, this time, she straightened herself immediately. "But still, I apologize for my conduct; please do not let my actions affect your opinion of-."

"There is nothing wrong with mourning someone who you lost at a point in life." He looked to the fourth's memorial. "But still, why does it hurt so much?

"Why does it hurt to mourn those that we have lost, don't we do it to find comfort despite their absence?

"Why does it feel like it would be better to forget; to keep going on without their memories with us; to ignore the fact that they existed entirely?" he continued, still not looking at her.

Sakura's eyes grew wide. _That's exactly how I feel…_

The prince continued. "Yet some of us continue to mourn, whether or not we visit their graves.

"Why?" he turned to look at her before speaking once again.

"That is because we are not ready; not ready to move on; not ready to let go; not ready to accept the fact that they are gone from us forever." She just continued to stare; he, likewise, continued to look at her critically.

"May I, miss?" he spoke, catching the blossom's attention. "May you take me to the grave of this person that has caused you such grief? Perhaps I shall pay him my respects as well." Sakura nodded at what he said, and led the prince with her through the graveyard.

Upon reaching the gravesite, the girl knelt before the stone, and clasped her hands together. The prince looked at her from the other side of the stone, the side that had no name or decoration.

When she stood up again, she moved to the side to give the prince the space he needed to pay his respects. She kept her eyes on the name written on the stone, unable to tear away.

It was too bad, as she would have seen the prince's eyes go wide, for a moment, before returning to an impassive gaze.

~TtT~

Sakura was lying on her bed now, still contemplating the things she had discussed with, both, Ino and the prince.

Putting heavy weight on what the prince had told her.

_Could he be right?_ She asked. _Could it be possible that I'm not able to feel at ease because I'm in denial?_

She was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard the sound of rustling leaves.

"What is it?" she asked the ANBU, not bothering to look at him, or even bother getting up from her bed.

"The Hokage needs you to be in his office, now."

And he was gone.

* * *

Questions:

What have you noticed about this chapter's account; how is it different from the others?

What do you think of the situation that I put Shikamaru and Ino in?

What is your opinion on the new oc's; will they fit in with the canon characters? (base on information you already have)

What did Onigumo mean about poison for daily consumption?

What did you think of the scene in the graveyard?

What does the Hokage want with Sakura?

Overall rating: 1-10; where does understanding parts one and two fall?


	7. The Mission Prelude

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so the nest person to sue me will get a taste of my… (Insert jutsu here)

* * *

For the jutsu, I will _try _to translate them into Japanese, but, if I am unable to, I hope you will bare with an English version. Don't worry though; I'll try to make the English names sound cool.

Pekan: Sorry, my schedule's far too irregular to give anyone a sort of deadline.

Eterguy: Thank you for the good input, as always.

January skies: Excellent commentary; I hope that my future update meet your standards.

Ching965: Excellent deduction on the prince's character, but we haven't even scraped the surface that is the Prince of Rain.

sincerley,

Toph the Trickster.

* * *

Chapter Seven:

The Mission Prelude

"_Amegakure is not above hiring shinobi from other countries for their own benefit, as the land of rain is not known for its large shinobi and kunoichi population; in fact, Amegakure holds one of the smallest military, in terms of size._

"_But, by no means, should Ame-nin in any number be underestimated in the slightest."_

_- Mitarashi Anko of Konohagakure_

~TtT~

There was no breeze, no wind, that accompanied the silent group of living entities that was called team seven.

Ever since the sound's failed invasion, the team had undergone a change, a change that no one could differentiate from better or worse.

Hatake Kakashi was not excluded from this change; no, most definitely not. He had let go of many of his habits. The greatest of which would have been his regular lateness.

Yes, as hard as it was to believe, Hatake Kakashi came on time, on the dot, for every appointment he had.

Why?

Here is what he said to the third Hokage when the old man asked him regarding his sudden punctuality:

~ _"I have already an innumerable number of mistakes that litter my past, and the death of one of my students is another to add to this list. I can still remember when he would complain so much about my being late for everything we did, and… I feel that, maybe, my being on time now is just a way for me to honor his sacrifice, for neither I, my team, nor the village would be here if he had not made the decision to give his life for the good of all."_ ~

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and gave the sensei his condolences; saying:

~ _"We have both made our mistakes, Kakashi. And yet there is no real way for us to repay our debts. Even in their death, we owe them our lives. Not just Naruto, but his mother and father as well. To think that they, a lone family, could give up so much for the good of a village that does not even have the chivalry to honor the deserving. We cannot, not even in a hundred generations, repay the Namikaze for all that they have given us; I only wish that we could, at least, lay the boy to rest with his real name etched unto his marker."_ ~

_To think,_ Kakashi thought, still leading his companions on the route toward Sunagakure. _That it would take the death of Minato-sensei's legacy in order to straighten my record._ He chuckled to himself darkly. _Oh the irony; it was death that caused me to become late, and it was death that caused me to change that same habit into something better._

The jounin sensei was taken from his thoughts by the call of one of his students, Haruno Sakura.

"Sensei," she called, not missing a step as the team jumped from branch to branch. "Forgive me for asking, but why is there an Ame fox accompanying us to Suna?" she pointed to the red fox."

"Sakura," Tsunade, from her place at the back, said. "Remember what Hiruzen-sensei told us during the mission briefing."

~TtT~

"So this is our mission?" Kakashi asked the old kage.

Nodding, "Yes, Kakashi. I am sending you, your team, and Tsunade to assist Sunagakure in their time of need."

"But why are they asking for our help?" Sakura asked. "We aren't allied with them, are we?"

"No we are not." Hiruzen said after shaking his head. "But they have asked for medical support as they have many injured nin, and sabaku no Kankuro who is under the effects of an unknown poison. They have specifically asked for Tsunade to take care of the healing." He picked up his, newly lit, pipe and took a long drag.

Uchiha Sasuke, then, looked to the village leader, and asked: "If that's the case, then why Konoha?"

"That is a simple matter, actually." They all looked to the door to find the speaker, the prince, enter the room; he was wearing traditional Japanese attire, which was comprised of a black kimono, white Hakama, and white obi. Over all this, he wore a standard, navy blue, plain Haori. "Konohagakure, among all the shinobi nations, possesses the best medical skills, tools, and has the most knowledge within the said field." He took the last empty seat nest to the kage's desk, as only Tsunade had opted to sit down.

"So that is all we will do?" Sakura asked. "Assist in the treatment of the wounded and the detoxification of sabaku no Kankuro?"

"The Kazekage's been kidnapped!" Sasuke exclaimed. "And all we will do there is help in the hospital?"

"We have no business in such an affair, Uchiha-san." the Hokage said. "Konoha was called, and paid, for a medical support mission, and that is what we will do."

"No," the prince corrected, garnering the attention of everyone on the room. "You are going to assist whatever team Suna sends to rescue their Kazekage." The speaker looked to the old man. "I am making this a _paid for_ S-rank mission. Consider this a request from me; and, don't worry about the payment," the prince took out a checkbook. "I can take care of that issue, now."

Hiruzen took another drag from his pipe, weighing the options in his mind. "Let me speak with the prince in private, please." He looked to the gathered group. "All of you, please wait outside, I will call you back when I have made my decision."

Not wanting to argue with their village's kage, the group stepped out of the room.

When they were outside, Sakura approached her second teacher. "Tsunade-sensei," the blonde woman then looked to her apprentice. "Do you think the Hokage will accept the mission?" Kakashi took this opportunity to enter the conversation while Sasuke remained content with listening in.

"I don't think Hokage-sama has much of a choice here, Sakura." He said, taking out another book written by Jiraiya, titled _Watashi no Sensei_, one of the few books written by the errant Sannin that did not contain anything, overly, sexual, as it still contained some scenes that were not acceptable to young children; the Sannin's only other non-sexual book was his first release, _Dokonjo_ _Ninden_. The reading of which became another habit that Kakashi altered over the past three years

"Why is that, sensei?" the pink-haired-girl asked.

"Well, there are actually several reasons why Hiruzen-sensei cannot refuse the prince's request." Tsunade explained as the four took seats on the furniture that was placed in the antechamber next to the Hokage's office. "So you know, the Hokage has been trying to get Ame into an alliance for a while now, which is why that kid is here in the first place."

Sakura's and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as the information hit them. _So that's why he's here._ Sakura thought.

"Anyway," Tsunade continued. "The main reason that Konoha is bound to take this mission is the issue of Ame's other alliances."

Everyone remained silent, the genin listening intently, while Kakashi, who continued to read his book, decided to finish the thought that Tsunade left floating.

"One of these allies just happens to be Sunagakure." The masked jounin said.

"And," Tsunade took the lead once more. "If Konoha wants to gain the allegiance of Amegakure, its kage, and its prince, we will have to honor its allegiances with other nations as well."

While the two girls continued their discussion on politics, Kakashi turned his attention to the Uchiha.

"Sasuke," Kakashi asked, his eyes never leaving the book. "The kid earlier," the jounin gestured one hand toward the office door. "He was the prince, wasn't he?"

Sasuke nodded, not bothering to give his sensei a vocal answer, knowing that the latter would notice the gesture either way.

"The prince's face." Kakashi said, looking to the Uchiha. "He looked like-." Kakashi never finished his sentence as the door to the Hokage's office opened.

"Come," Hiruzen said, calmly. "Let's finish this mission briefing."

Once inside the room, the nin all took the same positions they had occupied before they were sent out by the Hokage.

"So it has been decided." Hiruzen returned to his chair and sat down. "We will take the mission of assisting Suna in the rescue of sabaku no Gaara, the fifth Kazekage."

Tsunade however, begged to differ: "Giving a bunch of genin a mission like that is insane and you know it." She glared at the old man from her seat. "The Kazekage was kidnapped by _two_, just two, nin! That has got to count for something!" she stood up and continued to give Sarutobi Hiruzen a piece of her mind. "The nin that did this have got to be, at least, high A-class, bordering low S, to be able to beat a kage; you don't seriously expect these genin to stand a chance against them, do you!? Even if I'm a Sannin, there's no guarantee that I can cover for the other two. Are you-."

"They need not be capable of killing the attackers, Tsunade-san." Tsunade turned her glare to the prince who was still seated; a nonchalant expression on his face. "The mission is to help Suna _rescue_ the Kazekage,_ not_ kill the kidnappers." He played with a black pen with his left hand. "Although, it would be an added bonus if the nin were killed."

Tsunade, unable to respond to the calmness and truth in the prince's words, just sat down.

"The prince is right, Tsunade." Hiruzen told his former student. "You are being sent to assist in the _rescue_, not help Suna kill the assailants."

"But regardless of that," Kakashi said as he closed his book, and stowed it in his vest. "What makes you think that they will actually accept our assistance; as Sakura said: we aren't allied with them."

"But _Ame_ is, Hatake-san." they moved their attention to the prince, then the kage who added:

"It is in that situation that the prince comes in." Hiruzen took out the mission scroll passed it to Kakashi, and gave Tsunade another copy. "The prince has paid for an S-rank, international, collaboration mission with Amegakure."

"Who is Ame sending, then?" Tsunade asked.

"I will be sending for two of my personal guards, and another Royal Fox." The blond male replied.

The kage nodded. "We do not have the time to rendezvous with the team from Ame here, so you will be meeting them in, either, Suna or on the road." He took another drag from his pipe as the silver-haired jounin voiced another concern:

"And what if Suna doesn't trust us?"

The prince looked to him as he snapped his fingers; the fox that has, for a long while now, been sitting at the corner walked over. "That is no longer an issue." The prince said as the fox sat down at his feet and looked to the crowd.

"And why is that?" Tsunade asked.

"This is Tendo," the blond male gestured to the fox as the said mammal bowed. "One of my Royal Foxes; Suna will recognize him as a representative from Ame, and will not question the sincerity of your intentions as long as Tendo remains in your company."

"In short," Sasuke said, for the first time since the briefing began. "Not only do we have to rescue the Kazekage, fighting S-rank nin in the process, but we also have to protect that fox over there?"

He was replied by a hearty laugh from the prince, garnering a glare from the Uchiha. "Just concentrate on your mission, Uchiha-chan; just trust me when I say that my foxes know how to take care of themselves." Sakura had opened her mouth, but was cut off by the prince who added: "And don't worry about Tendo keeping up with you on your traveling speed, ojou-chan, as I guarantee you that he will."

~TtT~

"Alright everyone," Kakashi, the assigned team leader for the mission, said. "We have been traveling for two days now; let's set up camp here for tonight, as we should arrive in Suna by noon tomorrow."

He was answered with the collapse of the team's two genin before the teenage pair started to set up camp.

Kakashi was lighting the campfire when his attention was called by Tsunade.

"Oi, Kakashi."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" he replied politely.

"Before today," She said, taking a seat by the campfire while the two genin were catching up on the missed sleep in their respective tents. "Have you ever seen this _Prince_ before?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, today was the first time I've seen the kid."

"Thought so." was her swift addition to his statement.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked while he took out his new book.

"Not much, I just noticed several things."

"Like what?"

She looked at the younger man. "Why so interested?"

"He looks like Naruto," Kakashi opened his book, but just looked to the campfire. "… almost painfully so…"

Tsunade looked to the jounin, a look of sad empathy in her eyes. "Was the kid that important to you?"

"He's all that was left." Tsunade's eyebrows scrunched together at his words. "He was all that was left of Minato-sensei; Naruto was sensei's legacy," Kakashi's voice was laced with regret; he lowered his head in shame. "He was sensei's son, and I have failed them both."

Tsunade gave him a heartfelt look as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"We can't keep living in the past; else we may forget to live for the future." She said as looked up to the stars. "I can really say that I can relate with you, knowing what it's like to lose someone that's precious to you." She looked back to the jounin with a gentle gaze. "But we can't keep ourselves drowned in the tears of our regrets, as we may end up failing those that have placed their trust in us _now_." Tsunade looked back to the sky, a distant look in her eye.

"That is what Jiraiya told me when he dragged me back three years ago."

Kakashi looked to the Sannin in amazement.

"Thanks, Tsunade-sama." He told her, his grip on the book tightening.

She sent him a grin, and patted his back. "Who would have thought the perv was capable of such wisdom, huh?" she told him sarcastically.

Kakashi had already begun to read his book when he gave her a response: "I can actually see that in this book, right here."

"Oh?" Tsunade asked, looking skeptically at the book's cover. "That's _not_ another bundle of smut?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, Tsunade-sama. In fact," he showed her a passage in the book. "It's probably one of the saddest stories I have ever read."

Tsunade's eyebrows rose at the comment, and she decided to look to the passage before her:

~ _"No, It cannot be; I simply refuse to let this be. Is it not possible for there to be understanding within this world? Why must the people I care for continue to be sucked back into the life this nation holds; all the pain there, it's unbearable._

~ _"Within this land that I now pass, there is no peace, no fulfillment, that can be attained within this accursed land and yet, it is in this land that the world chooses to reside._

~ _"Do they do not see the beauty beyond those walls!? The happiness that I found in the short time I was with my beloved there, in reach of the sun's golden rays, and the joys of seeing my son smile and laugh. _

~_ "But now it is that land, the land I grew up in, that moves to take my son from me? I shall have no such thing. They say that it is fate that damns my boy; well fate be dammed! Fate has already claimed my wife; but for it to take the rest of my family from me as well!? I would rather die!_

~_ "But perhaps, that is what I shall have to do; forgive me my son; forgive your father for having to leave you, for I must face this; for the good of all, and for your good as well._

~ _"Sensei, forgive me for failing you as well, I hope that, perhaps you can find the peace you seek, beyond the plight that is the wall._

~ _"I shall die here, behind the wall that blinds the world. These people will never be able to understand what true life is; no, never, not as long as they choose to look at this empty life._

~ _"Yet, as I preach, I now find myself taking my last breath behind the wall, never to see the beauty that lay beyond it…" _~

* * *

So here it is.

I will be following some of the, more major parts of cannon, as I feel that the movement of Akatsuki would not be altered by Naruto's disappearance; well, at least not for the first eight.

Questions:

What do you think of Kakashi's new attitude?

Does this change match his original character?

What do you think of my writing of the passage?

Was the passage good?

Do I need to change the writing style for the future passages? (If any)

Who do you think Jiraiya based the passage from? (Clue: he's a character in the series.)

Is either Tsunade or Kakashi ooc?


	8. The Arrival at Suna Dawn's Congregation

Disclaimer: Naruto is not the property of Toph the Trickster / Christoph Zar

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Hi guys!

Paimon: thanks for the info, it was a great help.

Ching965: I certainly hope to keep up the good work, and thanks on making public your insight.

: Will do my best to take your advice, and maintain; thanks for the input.

The rest of you: please send more detailed reviews; I can't improve if none of you give additional input. So please…

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster.

On with the story.

* * *

Chapter Eight:

The Arrival at Suna; the Dawn Congregates

"_I have had a lot of contact with the Prince of Rain, indirectly as it may be;_

"_And, probably, I have observed that, among all of his advice, he constantly imposes the words: ~ 'take note to learn from each, and every, experience in your life, and you shall achieve true power, true wisdom, and, probably, a certain degree of happiness.' ~_

"_The prince told me that once, during one of his talks with Kazekage-sensei, and I have never forgotten the reality in his words; the wisdom that comes from experiencing all that life could bring._

"_And as I do my duty, in the absence of my sensei, I remember to learn from this experience, and, hopefully, find a way for us to save him from the fate that may await him at the hands of Akatsuki."_

_- Matsuri of Suna_

~TtT~

"I am adept at dealing with poisons," Chiyo shook her head as she looked at the dying Kankuro. "But, it seems, that, even I, cannot deal with this. Sasori has grown a great deal." She looked to Baki. "What do you intend to do now?"

Baki looked faced the elder with his eyes downcast. "As you had advised earlier, I have sent word to Konoha, asking for the assistance of Tsunade of the Sannin." He told old woman. "According to our border patrols, they should be arriving sometime today."

Chiyo huffed, shaking her head in disappointment. "Asking for help from a village that isn't even our ally;" she looked back to the unconscious Kankuro, and sighing before speaking once more. "Has Suna fallen so far; has your generation become so weak, Baki?"

Baki gave her no answer, remaining content with staring at the ground.

"We have to learn to stand on our own, for we will not become stronger!" she cried. "Suna cannot move forward if-!"

"Stop, Chiyo." Ebizo, Chiyo's brother, scolded. "Do not lay the blame on Baki." The younger elder looked to the boy on the operating table. "It was Kankuro's decision to run after the Akatsuki members, and, even then, it was his decision to not retreat, despite being pitted against a more powerful opponent."

"Though what you say may be true, Ojii-sama," the group looked entire group, except Chiyo, who was examining her records in another attempt to find a cure, looked to the door to see the speaker, a silver-haired Konoha jounin with a cloth mask, and his forehead protector shielding his left eye, standing at the doorway; two other girls, one a pink-haired teen, the other a blonde woman, appearing to be in her mid, to late, twenties, rushed into the room, immediately making a beeline for Kankuro. Kakashi continued: "He was merely worried for his brother."

Several of the elders, capable ninja in their own right, took defensive stances in preparation to fight with the intruders; Baki held up his hand to stop, letting the two kunoichi through.

"But even then," Chiyo said, slowly turning around to face the speaker. "A shinobi should be able to tell the difference between the time to fight, and the time to…" her eyes widened as she got a good look of Kakashi's face. "… flee."

It took a loud gasp from everyone in the room to get Sakura and Tsunade to raise their heads from the patient they were working on; Chiyo had charged forward, jumped, and attempted to deliver an over-head, somersault axe kick with her right foot to a wide-eyed Kakashi who, simply, did not move.

Lucky for the jounin, the blow was blocked by a fifteen-year-old with black hair, and an activated Sharingan.

"Can you _please_ tell me what you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked; his words were a mix of sarcasm, nonchalance and indignation, throwing the female elder's leg, causing her to do a reverse-flip in the air, and land back to the ground.

"White Fang," the old woman said, glaring at the jounin; the mention of the name caused Kakashi's eyes to widen even more. "I remember you as my son's enemy." She charged forward with a drawn-back fist. "I _will _have revenge!" she charged with enough speed to cause Sasuke to enter a, temporary, state of shock.

_Fast…_ he thought, still unable to move even though Chiyo was about to drive him into the ground with a punch.

Everyone watched in shocked silence as Chiyo, suddenly, stopped dead, as though her fist collided with a solid steel wall just before Sasuke's face.

The force of the impact was enough to cause her knuckles to bleed.

"I would recommend you cease and desist, elder." said a red fox, perfectly balanced on Chiyo's fist; it sat proudly, with its chest puffed out, and head raised high. "You should be aware of the fact that Hatake Sakumo has been dead for a long time. What could _possibly_ give you the idea that a dead person is still alive?" Tendo looked to Chiyo from the corner of his eye, his voiced indicating his superior and proud attitude. "This… jounin is the late Sakumo's eldest son, Hatake Kakashi."

There was no response, no sound, that came from _any_ corner of the room.

Tendo looked around, shifting his attention from face to face, eventually narrowing when he returned to Chiyo.

The said action caused Ebizo to draw a sharp gasp; looking to the fox, he spoke in a shaky voice: "T-t-t-Tendo-sama, i-i-i-it's good to see you."

The fox immediately looked to the old man, the former's eyes no longer aggressive; Tendo gave a slight bow, before jumping from the female elder's fist and unto the head of the operating table, just to the left of Kankuro's head.

The fox gave the unconscious teen a look-over before turning to Baki.

"I will be heading to the council chamber, I expect you to be there, along with _all_ the council members; you have five minutes." Tendo jumped down, and walked to the door with an exaggerated swing of his tale.

He stopped at the door, and looked back to the group, glaring at Tsunade with sharp, purple eyes; a wind blew through the room, causing everyone to shudder unconsciously. "What are you waiting for, Sannin-san?

"Get to work." And he left.

And it was then that the oppressive chill was lifted.

_There was a gust of wind, _Kakashi observed, looking around the room. _But there are no open windows… This fox is not your regular, everyday talking fox…_

…

… _Foxes talk?_

He was brought out of the deep reaches of thought by the shouting order of Tsunade: "Kakashi, I want you to protect Sakura while she prepares the antidote," she looked to Ebizo. "I trust that you will show her there?"

He nodded. "You!" the pointed to a random chuunin situated near the door; the young nin was visibly pale, most likely caused by the cold atmosphere brought about by the fox. "Take these two to the greenhouse." the shinobi nodded, and led Kakashi and Sakura out the door.

Tsunade, then, handed one of the nurses a list. "Please get me these materials; they are important, so get them quickly." The nurse nodded and left.

"I'll be going then," Baki said as he made his way to the door. "Ebizo-sama is not required to attend the meeting, so I think he will stay here." He looked to the senior elder, as though asking for confirmation; after receiving a nod, Baki began to walk toward the door again.

"Wait." Tsunade called.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Baki stopped and looked to the Sannin.

"Can you tell me anything about the Tendo-san, the fox?" she was answered by Ebizo, who spoke to Baki first.

"You go on Baki; I'll talk to Tsunade-chan."

The younger council member nodded and left.

"So," Ebizo sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "You want to know about the _Royal Foxes_, huh?" he took out a journal from a pocket in his robes, and looked to the female Sannin. "I hope you can listen while you work, because this is going to be a, relatively, long story."

He laughed.

~TtT~

Mitarashi Anko was far from pleased.

"What do you mean the information is restricted!?" she said as she slammed an open palm on the secretary's desk, outside the Hokage's office.

"Just what I said, Mitarashi-san." the secretary replied. "Hokage-sama has labeled the information as restricted;" she continued pleadingly. "_All_ clearances are barred from the information you're asking for until further notice; hell, not even the council was given all the information."

Anko inhaled to give another retort, when she heard:

"Mitarashi-san, is that you?" she turned to the Hokage's door to find the prince walking out.

"Shouldn't _I_ be asking _you_ that question?" she smirked and walked toward him, the secretary forgotten. "All things considered, your outfit looks nothing like what you usually wear."

"Really?" he looked at himself. "The Haori is still there, you know."

The prince wore a white, short-sleeved shirt, grey pants, and a royal blue Haori over it all.

"Still, it's pretty casual if I compare it to what you wore yesterday." She winked at him suggestively.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, his tone morphing into a playful melody. "And at what specific part of yesterday are you referring to?"

"Why the part where you fought without a shirt on, of course!" she exclaimed as they made their way out of the tower.

The prince looked back, and smirked, when he saw the secretary shudder slightly at seeing the pair flirt.

"So," the prince said to Anko when they got out of the building. "What has the Hokage planned for me now?"

"I don't know…" the woman tapped a finger on her chin in a mockery of contemplation. "… didn't we talk about something regarding some sort of date?" she stared at the blond smugly.

It was the prince's turn to mock contemplation.

"Yes, I believe we _did _discuss something of the sort." He looked to her with a blank expression, but spoke to her in a flirtatious tone: "Does the offer still stand, Anko-chan?"

"Heh," Anko looked to the blond teen, and grabbed his hand, causing his eyes to widen slightly. "How 'bout I just show you my reply."

And the pair took off.

~TtT~

"Your late, do you know that, walking block o' wood?" Hoshigaki Kisame, despite his current impatience, joked.

"Neither of us would be late if a certain explosive artist didn't take too much time to his _little_ works of art." Sasori said bitterly, taking effort to make it known that he was belittling his fellow artist.

"Deidara," the dark voice of the Akatsuki leader called forth. "Is Sasori's accusation true?" without giving the blond any time to answer, the leader spoke again, giving the nineteen-year-old missing nin a glare through his grayish-purple, ringed eyes. "I have told you that wasting time is not acceptable, _especially _when we are dealing with the bijuu."

Deidara paled slightly at hearing the organization's leader scold him.

"But leader-sama," the blond pleaded. "He was stronger than expected, kage level!"

The leader's eyes narrowed slightly, but, not giving the member any chance, he added insult to injury: "I am well aware of the ichibi's position within the Sand village, Deidara, but I assigned you the ichibi, the weakest of the nine, because I thought the you could handle, at least, that much.

"Remember that we will be dealing with _much_ more powerful opponents as the bijuu can only get stronger as we go along; and, of course, their jinchuuriki are not excepted from the rule." The leader finished, not even bothering to give Deidara, even the slightest, reprieve from his shame.

For within the Red Dawn, inefficiency is as good as failure.

The leader turned his gaze to another hologram; "Zetsu," the shadow stirred. "Call the others, and please make sure that Hidan and Kakuzu do _not _get held up by another business deal; I have already informed Konan, and she will be here shortly.

"Go."

Zetsu gave no, verbal, reply, but sent a bow in the leader's direction.

And while all of this occurred, the two, more artistic, members of Akatsuki were arguing:

"Sasori no Danna, what do you mean by _little_, hmm?"

"What do you think I said, you insignificant whelp?" the slouched man looked to the blond. "Your art is little because it remain within this world for too little a time." He looked back to the leader, who was preparing for the ritual. "Art is meant to last forever, and be appreciated as time takes its passage.

"True art is something that is immortal, _Deidara-chan_." Sasori finished, emphasizing on Deidara's youth in comparison to Sasori's age.

Deidara scowled at the berating he had just received from his senior, but did nothing to stop his own retort: "Such art will do nothing but _bore_ the audience to death, Sasori no Danna. One can only appreciate art if it is fleeting; there is no beauty in living forever, because one can no longer appreciate the beauty that is in life.

"The same can be said for art; art is a blast, and blasts don't last for long, right, _Ojii-san_?" Deidara's scowl transformed into a smirk as he rolled out the last line, causing Sasori to shake in indignation.

"Why you little-!" the puppet master was silenced by the leader as the latter cut into their conversation:

"It appears to me that neither of you can get a grasp of _true _art, an irony, since both of you are artists. Don't you think?" the leader's voice was told the other two that the former was amused; Itachi and Kisame just watched the scene unfold, knowing to expect something good from their leader.

"What do you know, you're not even an artist." Deidara spat back, forgetting who he was talking to.

The leader just looked at him with, what one could call, if one could actually see it, a raised eyebrow. "I'll let that snap slide for now, but please understand that in _all_ forms of art, be they immortal or ethereal, there is one thing that they have in common:

"it doesn't matter how long a certain work of art lasts, what matters is the impression that it made on the people that have managed to appreciate it.

"For it is in that impression that we are able gain knew things; be they knowledge, wisdom, or simply emotional fulfillment;

"It is, through that, do we grow.

"This aspect of art proves itself as the most important of all."

The two Akatsuki artists stared at their leader, wide-eyed at his insight.

But before either Sasori or Deidara could verbalize their thoughts, they were interrupted by the arrival of the other members:

"Leader-sama," It was Kakuzu. "Forgive us for our tardiness, but _someone _here was wasting time."

"I WAS NOT WASTING TIME, YOU GREEDY BASTARD!" His partner shouted back. "YOU KNOW MY PRAYER TIME IS SACRED; YOU DON"T HEAR ME INTERRUPTING YOUR _BUSINESS_ NOW, DO YOU!?"

"Oh?" Kakuzu scoffed. "How sure are you of that, Hidan-tan?" Hidan looked ready to pounce, despite not really being there, at being referred to as a dog, by means of honorific.

"That is enough from the both of you." A feminine voice rang through the cavern. "Pein," she directed herself to the leader. "I'm here."

"I am aware of that, my dear." Pein replied. "And now…" the ground shook as a large statue appeared, its hands cuffed together and wrung in front of its face; each Akatsuki member, physically present or otherwise, took their places on each finger, beginning from the right thumb to the left: Pein, Deidara, Konan, Itachi, Zetsu, a blank space, Kisame, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori.

Pein looked to Gaara before speaking again: "… let us begin."

* * *

Akatsuki has made its move…

**What do you think, huh?**

It seems that the Akatsuki leader, Pein, possesses the same eyes as the prince (unless you haven't noticed.) **can any of you form a PLAUSIBLE theory for this?** The person who can get the answer, or even remotely close, will have a new obedient reviewer. (if you don't have a story, well… you get a cookie. ^_._^)

What do you think of the way I twisted the cannon plotline; was it any good?

I know, I tweaked Pein and Konan a little, but I have my reasons, I just hope that you like the change… _**Do**_** you?**

**What do you suppose happened with Tendo and Chiyo?**

**What is the prince's role in all this **(theories and guesses, please)**?** The person who can get the answer, or even remotely close, will have a new obedient reviewer. (if you don't have a story, well… you get a cookie. ^_._^)

See you next chap!

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster.


	9. Congregation and Manipulation

Disclaimer: Naruto is something that I do not won.

* * *

Hi guys, how are all of you?

Anyway, with regard to the contest I had set up in my last chapter, I have now chosen my two winners!

…

Unfortunately for many of you, I will not be posting their names today; I intend to, first, tell them through private e-mail. The main reason for this is that the winners' answers may result in you, the reader, being able to deduce what may happen next.

I will _not_ have spoilers for my fic.

Also, winners, we will be discussing several details of this story, that is, if you wish to. I will _try_ to contact you within the week, but I can give no guarantee as I have my midterms in seven days, or less.

* * *

Many of you gave _very_ plausible theories, but, I am sad to tell you, several, if not many, of those theories will be disproved by this chapter.

* * *

Encouragingyouth: I thank you for the complements, and I _do_ hope that I can continue to please; also, I will have to ask for your patience, as you might have to wait to see what you want.

griffin blackwood: well, I am glad you saw that little detail.

KuroiTsuki7: I will not say anything in detail, but how on earth can our dear little main character be dead? I will not say that it isn't a possibility as that is quite likely, but I give you no guarantee that Naruto is, either, dead or alive. 

Paimon: I thank you for the info, Paimon, but I based my spelling on the Japanese pronounciation that is used. Yes, I know, it is erroneous, but I simply cannot bring myself to change that specific habit.

Rin'negan Naruto: I designed this story to keep readers in the dark; what would be interesting if I let the readers know _everything_. Your being confused just means that I am moving in the right direction, but if you wish to clarify certain details, feel free to message me. 

ching965: thank you for the comment, you may find out why, partially, at least, Tendo is so respected in Suna.

* * *

Here is a clarification for several details:

Sasuke has the Mangekyo; it is stated in the line: "_Sasuke's Sharingan changed, becoming a six point nova symbol._"

The foxes' appearances are posted as links on my profile; just look for the corresponding name, and the link that follows.

Now, on with the story:

* * *

Chapter Nine:

Congregation and Manipulation

"_Within the ninja arsenal, there are many tools;_

"_Ranging from kunai and shuriken to the myriad of jutsu known within the great shinobi nations, these mentioned are known to have the most __**immediate**__ effects._

"…

"_But, it is well known, there are other tools at a ninja's disposal:_

"_Fear would happen to be a very good example, in fact, as the use of killing intent is well known throughout the continent._

"_But it is not the only thing that can win a battle._

"_And it is through that __**minority**__that I choose to win a war."_

_-The Prince of Rain._

~TtT~

"Can _anyone_ in this room give _any_ report on the extent of the damage we have received!?" An indignant elder cried from his seat at the table.

"Here you are." Another elder entered the room, handing the first one a cardboard folder. "I hope that should satisfy your concerns for the moment, councilman?"

The said man just nodded in response, and started to read, scowling as he went through the many pages contained within the folder. "This is far from good."

The one who gave him the folder nodded solemnly. "Indeed, despite the fact that Kazekage-sama managed to shield us from the worse of the bombs, we still sustained initial damage when the Akatsuki member infiltrated the village."

The one holding the folder continued to look through the files, reading them out loud as he did so: "Over three hundred injured, fifty dead, seven missing, over a hundred-thousand Ryo in property damage, and…" the councilman's eyes widened as he passed over certain pieces of information: "… The _entire_ border guard, and gate division, has been found dead, and councilman Yura is missing!?" he looked to his companion. "When did this information arrive?" he stood up and walked to the balcony. "This could be disastrous!"

"You are quite right, councilman," the second man, the one who gave the former the folder, said. "But, as you know, I am sure, we do not have the time to fret over such matters; we have to take the needed measures to ensure the safety of the village."

"Quite right," the councilman at the balcony nodded. "We need to prioritize the security of the nation;" he clenched his fist. "We cannot allow this news to get out to the other villages more then they already have." He walked back into the room, and took his seat at the round table. "Baki," he looked to the said man. "I think that we should send additional ninja to the borders; the other villages might try something if they feel that we are showing weakness; we need to put up a strong front." The speaker let out an exasperated sigh. "You agree, right?"

Baki dipped his chin ever so slightly. "That would be a prudent decision, councilman Shingi," Baki took his seat as well, dropping himself on the place to the left of the kage's chair. "We cannot allow Kazekage-sama's absence to weaken our national security."

Shingi's expression did not lighten despite receiving the approval of a senior councilman who worked directly under the Kazekage. "I have just received a general report on the status on the village from councilman Doki, and, I must say, there is some information that I find quite unsettling." Shingi finished as Doki, the one who gave the former the cardboard folder, entered the room to take a seat on Shingi's right.

Baki's response was a furrowed eyebrow, and: "What kind of information, Shingi-san?" he asked, deciding to be more familiar with his colleagues.

"It appears that councilman Yura has gone missing." Doki said, with his eyes narrowed. "If I remember correctly, he ran off after our last council meeting, did he not?" he asked Baki; the former jounin remained silent, but gave his fellow-council member a curt nod. Doki leaned back into his chair. "I do not like the way he acted after yesterday's meeting; he seemed to tense; what do you suppose, Shingi-senpai?"

"Thinking about it, he _was_ acting oddly." Shingi pointed out. "Do you think…?" he did not bother finishing the sentence, leaving the statement hanging so that the senior's companions could finish the sentence on their own.

Baki sighed; he found the ending obvious: … _Yura was involved in last night's attack; was he involved in the attack on Gaara-sama?_ The senior took a deep breath. _There is a large chance; but there is a more pressing question that needs to be addressed: _"What do you suggest we do?"

The former jounin was replied with curious looks and furrowed eyebrows.

"Regarding what, Baki?" it was Doki, the more aggressive of the two.

"I presume you are talking about Kazekage-sama, Baki-san?" Shingi followed up.

"Yes." The councilman nodded. "What action do you two propose we take; we need to rescue Kazekage-sama, do we not?"

"Yes, we do." Shingi agreed. "The question is: can we afford to send out teams to rescue Gaara-sama?" Shingi's expression darkened slightly. "We have already lost our _entire_ boarder guard, our gate division, and many of our nin are unable to act. Merely keeping the village secured is already far to taxing on our military capacity; I don't want to stretch our forces too thin."

Shingi sighed; he was tired and confused. _Damn this,_ He thought. _Suna is in a __**very**__ compromising position; this is very, __**very**__ bad._ He rested his elbow on the table, and hid face in his palm. "Are we doing the right thing, abandoning Gaara?" he looked to the room's two other occupants. "Would that have been what he wanted?

"Would this decision be the best for the village in the long run?

"This is what I am thinking right now…

"Despite his age, Gaara-sama has always been able to handle problems that plague our nation; he has been our best kage since the third!" he exclaimed. "I just don't know whether, or not, it would be prudent to leave our kage for the sake national security."

"Actually, Shingi-san," the three turned to Tendo, who was just situated himself on the balcony railing. "That _would_ be a prudent choice to make, as a kage can be replaced for he, or she, is just another nin."

Tendo leaped, landing on the backrest of the kage's chair; he stared down the three councilmen who were present in the room. "But the _real_ question is: would that be the _best_ possible decision to make for the good of the village?"

~TtT~

"The time has come," a voice sounded within the bleak world. "The plans of the father and the son have now begun to move." A black sun shone within the world; the sky was scarlet, and the ground was unseen. Black tendrils of mist wafted through the empty world, and the said tendrils began to intermingle.

"Things are now moving, Traitorous," the mist, in a certain location, dispersed violently; revealing a shadow that spoke: "The tools have been laid out, and method has been decided upon." Within the scarlet world, the only thing distinct about this shadow was its eyes: the whites were black, and the irises red; the pupils were slits', but gave off an amethyst glow. "It is only a matter of time before things start playing out."

"It has been a while since we last saw you;" a third voice resounded, a second shadow emerging from the darkness; this one was larger than the first, at least a thousand times larger. "It is good to see you again, little whirlpool."

"The opinion is shared, Wrathful" a third shadow appeared, the same size as the second, and the bodies of neither titans toughed the unseen ground as they faded into the mist; this was the shadow of the first speaker. "To see the little one once more was _not_ something I was counting on, at least not for another century or so."

"I am not dead, Traitorous-sensei." The one referred to as 'little whirlpool' said. "My time has not yet come."

"But one cannot ignore the fact that your time _will_ come, yes?" a fourth shadow formed, also as large as the other two. "Death is an inevitability, and _all_ mortals are subject to that rule."

"But despite that fact, Avaricious-sensei," the tiny shadow said, the purple glow coming from the slits in his eyes brightened slightly. "It is in mortality that we achieve fulfillment, for if one lived forever, what would one live for?" whirlpool turned to the one referred to as 'Traitorous'; "Sensei, Where are the others; surely they are on their way, correct?"

"Correct," a new voice sounded as a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh shadow formed. "It has been a year, little one; none of us were expecting you to make another visit so soon;" the speaker turned to Avaricious: "And the boy is right, you know. Mortality can, or rather _will_, spurn a mortal's desire to live life to the fullest, but, then again, only _your_ greed is so insurmountable that all the time in eternity would not be enough to sate it."

"And your thirst for blood, Violent, is at the same degree." The sixth shadow said to the fifth. "But I still applaud your outward calm; you are able to fool _many_, just not our student here." The speaker gestured to the tiny shadow.

"I thank you for your praise, Despairing-sensei; it is much appreciated." Whirlpool bowed.

"There is no need to thank us, little one." Traitorous waved off. "You are as deserving if our praise as you are of your power, status, and bride." Traitorous turned to look at his companions as seven more shadows faded into view; he looked back to the tiny whirlpool. "But now that we are all here, little one, don't you think it is time we began this meeting?"

The black mist began to agitate, moving erratically around the area, and, eventually, began to spin around the tiny shadow, and rising to the scarlet sky in a double helix.

"Yes, council," the air inside the mist began to glow a bright, neon red, revealing long, white hair, and a pair of horns on his forehead that rose diagonally outward, then bent at a similar angle back, until, finally, having the tips point down in a mirror angle of the second. "… Let's..."

~TtT~

"Are we all here now?" Tendo asked, looking at the three empty seats, other than the kage's chair, at the council chamber. "I can still see some empty seats." The fox looked to one side, still balancing himself on the headrest of the kage's chair. "…Baki?"

"We are all here, Tendo-sama;" Baki told the fox. "Two of the other councilmen are in _no_ position to leave the hospital, and councilman Yura is missing."

Tendo gave the former jounin a curious look and asked: "There wouldn't happen to be _special_ circumstances with regard to his disappearance now, would there?"

"Actually, Tendo-sama, Baki-san, Doki-san, and I, have reason to believe there are." It was Shingi who answered the question.

"And what would those circumstances be, Shingi-san?" The fox's face held no positive emotion, just the greatest semblance of professionalism. "What situation could cause a senior councilman to abandon his post when the kage has been kidnapped?" Tendo's gaze swept across the room, giving each councilman a good look, before looking to the portrait of the five Kazekage; he spoke once more, his voice grave: "I am sure that you are aware of what you are insinuating, councilman Shingi, for your, unsaid, accusation could have a great fallout, should your conclusion prove erroneous."

Hearing the fox's words, Shingi's posture straightened, and he held his head high. "I am aware of the consequences I must face, Tendo-sama. I am ready to accept whatever punishment might be forced upon me, but I hope to receive your support on his matter;" Shingi left a pause. "I do what I do for Suna, and if it means my expulsion from the council for what I am about to declare, than so be it." His voice was steady, but full of emotion, full of conviction, and so full of loyalty that Tendo couldn't help but smirk.

"Very well then, Shingi-san," Tendo nodded. "I was listening to your conversation with councilmen Baki and Doki, and, I must say, I have reached the same conclusion." The three mentioned people's eyes widened as Tendo's expression became cold once more. "As of this moment, until proven otherwise, councilman Yura of the Suna senior council is branded as traitor, and spy; he is to be captured on sight, killed if necessary, and brought in for interrogation, if the former holds true; if not, bring his head."

Tendo left his place, balancing on the top of a chair's headrest, to standing on the round table that was, currently, surrounded by seniors of the village hidden in the sand.

"And, just in case," Tendo sat down, speaking in the matter befitting a feudal noble. "For those of you who have _not_ had the honor of working with me, or one of my brothers, _especially_ those _newer_ additions to this council, we, _Ame Royal Foxes_, are representatives of our master, the Prince of Rain, and the said superior expects that words coming from our jaws are treated as his own;

"According to one of the terms of our alliance with Suna, should the council be _insufficient_ in dealing with a situation, and the kage is incapacitated, the prince, or _any_ of his representatives are allowed to take hold of the situation, albeit we do _not_ overstep our authority."

Tendo looked to the younger members of the senior council, ones that he did not remember from his last visit from, over, a year ago.

Tendo bared his teeth.

"Am I making myself clear, _younger_ councilmen?"

The royal fox was responded with the words: "Yes, Tendo-sama" the fresher councilmen, who were aged between nineteen to twenty-one, composed, a little close to, half the group.

Tendo grinned; "Alright then," he looked to Baki. "Please let us hear the full report, Baki-san; it is time we took the necessary measures to deal with this situation."

Baki nodded, and then stood, not having to wait for any other instructions from the royal fox.

"If all of you remember the meeting we held two days ago, the day after the Kazekage was kidnapped, I had already given you a partial report on the state of the village, and our territory within two kilometers of our walls.

"But, in the event that you wish to verify the information I had given you, you are free to check the, formal, written report;" Baki gestured to the folder in front of him. "I have already had it documented, and the copies can be found within the folders you have in front of you.

"As with regard to the newest information we, Shingi-senpai, Doki-san, and I, have managed to gather in the past two days.

"You can get a look at them later," Baki interjected, stopping one of the younger councilmen who was reaching for the mentioned folder. "Now, the information we have found is quite unsettling: at this point in time, I have, already, mobilized exactly five-hundred-thirty-two Suna shinobi, in teams ranging from three to five members, with the approval of, both, a senior councilman and the, temporary, commander-in-chief.

I shall get back to that a little later in this meeting, but…" Baki stopped; he looked to Tendo, as though asking for confirmation.

The fox nodded.

"… we have more _pressing_ things to discuss."

"Such as…?" a senior councilman asked.

"How we intend to go about the rescue of our Godaime Kazekage."

~TtT~

The sound of a closing door echoed through the large hall.

Two ninja walked in, both wearing the same clothing: a bleak, gray coat with chin-high collar, wide, wrist-length sleeves, a purple line covering the buttons, that were used to keep the coat closed, and a white diamond with the symbol of Ame printed at the back; both wore wide-brimmed, flat-topped, rattan hats, their faces concealed by, both, the said hats and their coat collar.

The room they entered was silent; no sound was heard resounding through the dark room; majority of the walls were kept in the shadows as the columns running along the aisle were made of gray stone.

"Hey, Do-senpai," one of the two whispered. "Got any idea what this is about?"

Do, shook his head, his hat following suite. "No clue, Toyotomi;" the pair walked on, passing the many columns that lined their path. "We will just have to wait for the orders Amekage-sama intends to give us."

Toyotomi nodded, and kept silent as they made their way through the unchanging surroundings.

It was after several minutes of, silent, walking did the pair arrive at the end of the long hallway.

In front of them was a raised platform, not more than a foot above the floor; stone steps bordered the sides, and two more columns rose from the top of the said platform, roughly two meters away from their respective sides.

Although, unlike the other columns in the room, which were all identical to each other, the pillars two at the hall's end stood out from the rest.

They were made of stone, and, carved out of them, were the semblance of spirits rising in a spiral towards the heavens, their arms and heads calling to the outside, their faces moaning and screaming; within each eye socket, a gem was inserted; there were only four types used: Amethyst, Rubies, Diamonds, and Black Obsidian. The little light that managed to enter the room bounced off the precious stones, and made the mournful spirits appear as glaring demons in the night.

Each head that bore obsidian eyes were slightly different from the other three, rather than screaming, moaning, or wailing, they were represented as biting heads.

They were biting down on scrolls.

Hundreds of the said rolled-up pieces of paper littered the two stone pillars as they rose to the unseen ceiling, leaving any observer wondering how high they, both column and ceiling, went.

Between the two vertical pieces of cylindrical stone was a throne fashioned of black jade, and behind it was a large tapestry, about five meter across, on it were the six Magatama, and, within the circle they formed, was the kanji for the number: One.

"Amekage-sama," both shinobi knelt down, and bowed their heads to the man seated on the throne, their faces still concealed by their respective hats. "… Sui Toyotomi, and I, Do Tokugawa, reporting for duty."

The Shodai Amekage waved a, black, gloved hand. "Rise." The pair followed suite. "I am sure you know why you are here, _Storm Guards_?"

Both nodded. "Yes, sire." Do said.

"Good, then." The Amekage said.

"So it is true, then" Sui stated. "Akatsuki _has_ made its move."

"That is quite right, Sui-san." the two Storm Guards looked to one side to see a sandy-grey fox approach them, it was about a foot tall, its underside was white, its tail had a black tip, and dark rings circled its amethyst-purple eyes. "Akatsuki has _indeed_ made its move, and the prince wishes for us to deal with them."

The Amekage looked to the fox from his own purple eyes. "Ah… it is good that you are here, Chikushodo-san, I was going to send for you, but I remembered that Shurado-san said he already informed you. He did do so, did he not?"

Chikushodo sat, and nodded. "That _indeed_ would be the case, Amekage-sama; despite his aggressive attitude, my brother is quite responsible when given an obligation to fulfill."

"By observation, Chikushodo-san," the shrouded man, on the throne, said. "All of you are.

"But let us try _not_ to stray too far from business now, shall we?

"Do-san, Sui-san, you two will be going to Suna, by my son's orders; Chikushodo-san is in command. You should expect to meet Tendo-san there."

"Oh?" Chikushodo said with raised eyebrows. "Tendo-niisan is there? So it was _him_ that the prince sent over. Who is accompanying my master then, Amekage-sama?"

"My son is currently alone in Konoha, but, I have no doubt, he _should_ be able to hold his own should treachery rear its ugly head; all things considered, the political fallout that his death _could_ cause will, most likely, be too much for Konoha to bear." The Amekage looked to the three in front of him; a seated fox, and two standing shinobi.

"You have heard your orders; go, and do the nation, the shogun, and the royal family proud."

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Questions:

you read the account at the start of the chapter, you should have noticed the fact that it is stated by the Prince of Rain himself. How do you think his statement in the account speaks of his personality?

chapter centers around three meetings that take place on different locations, in the first meeting, what impression do you get from my two new oc's: Shingi and Doki?

second meeting is, probably, the vaguest of them all; it was how I intended it to turn out as; what theories can you think of, who do you think the group of large shadows are?

reference to the third question, who do you think the one referred to as 'whirlpool' is? What role do you think he will play in the future of this story?

the third meeting, the one featuring the Amekage, who, now, makes his appearance, cameo as it may be. Is there something special about the two stone columns? If yeas, how so?

Amekage said the words: "You have heard your orders; go, and do the nation, the shogun, and the royal family proud." What do you think he meant? (please take note that the feudal lord of an elemental country is usually referred to as, simply, the feudal lord, or, in certain cases, the Daimyo)


	10. Politics

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Naruto, god damn it!!

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Hi guys, it seems that I barely made my weekly update.

I've been busy…

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Review responses:

Elemental-Zer0 – insightful as always, Zero; I should expect nothing less; although, I _do_ hope that this chapter is good; I have my doubts, to be entirely honest.

Kaien Sayato – well, thank you. I aim to confuse and confound; although, I hope that I can straighten things out in the end, lest I leave many lost and confused. **: )**

Selonianth – interesting answer.

Dragon Soul Weaver – well, you see the prince in this chap… and besides, I have my reasons for what I do.

Paimon – well thank you for pointing those out, Paimon (please note that I am serious here; sorry if my comment might seem sarcastic.) I am also thankful that I am succeeding in keeping you confused, as is my target.

ching965 – quite true, ching, this review was long. And good answer, too. As a little treat for you, and anyone who reads my review responses, I actually used Dante Alighieri's "_The Inferno_" as inspiration in this fic (although I won't tell where), as well as Alexandre Dumas's "_The Count of Monte Christo_."

And that concludes our weekly responses, thank you.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

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Chapter Ten:

Politics

"_Everything is relative; that is a __**fact**__._

"_And to those fools that think that the world exists in absolutes…_

"… _Well, allow me to tell you what a friend of mine, the Prince of Rain, said:_

"_~ 'You shall __**not**__ survive this harsh world with your morals intact' ~"_

_-_Urashima Keitaro, the '_Continental Shogun_.'

~TtT~

Throughout the dark corridor that was the throne room within the Amekage's residence, the familiar sound of shutting doors echoed through as Toyotomi, Tokugawa, and Chikushodo left to fulfill the mission that was given to them.

The Amekage let out a sigh, and leaned his head against the back of his chair.

"This room is dark, but, I think, its better this way." He sat straight once more, and looked to one side, to the darkness that surrounded one of the columns. "What do you think, old friend?"

"I have no _real_ say in that matter, senpai." A man, dressed in a white coat walked past the columns, and took a place leaning on one of the said objects. "But, I desire to know, why are you asking me this in the first place?"

The Amekage looked to his companion. "Is it wrong to ask for the opinion of another when dealing with a situation?"

"No, but it is certainly not mandatory; I, simply, see no actual reason to desire my opinion; I am merely an observer, after all."

"Yes," the shadowed kage sighed. "Then how about we check on the young royal, shall we?"

The man in white raised his eyebrows. "Has the game hone that far, Amekage?" he eyed the said person with an amused look. "You expect the prince to already be done with negotiating with Konoha? It's only been a week."

The kage snapped his fingers, and a pair of glowing, pale-purple eyes opened from an animal that rested on his shoulder. "Knowing my son, he should be wrapping things up by now;" the creature said as it jumped into the light, and landing on the floor, revealing itself to be a, very black, Northern raven. "Besides, I have a feeling that he is just itching for some bloodshed; he has been _terribly_ bored as of late, and with his birthday coming in a month, I believe that it would be best that he got such urges out of his system; wouldn't you agree?"

"Then I presume that the game has, _not only_, gone far, but it has, _also_, gone well for us as well?" the other man asked the bird.

"It has, indeed, old friend;" the raven said, in a humorous tone. "Pity the dead can't participate, yes?"

And the raven took off without waiting for his friend's answer.

~TtT~

"So," Sarutobi Hiruzen queried. "What do you think?"

It was past dinnertime now, nearly midnight in fact, and both politicians had been discussing the acceptability of the terms since noon that day. After a solid week of talking things out with the council, Hiruzen finally managed to complete Konoha's set of demands for the treaty.

Also, it being one week, it meant that team seven had been on their mission for six days already, and, hopefully, the help the prince sent would have been near the former's vicinity as he claimed that they should have been deployed sometime the day previous.

The conversing pair was in the office now, and the prince, again, gave the treaty a meticulous look over.

He nodded, sending the old kage a content smirk. "Yes, Hokage-sama, I think that these terms are agreeable."

Hiruzen had to blink a few times; he knew that there were still certain terms here that most, if not all, people would disagree to. _Is he serious?_ He raised his eyebrows at the blonde representative. _Most nin, especially those from his age group would be screaming bloody murder at this point._

"Are you sure that _everything_ is alright, prince-san? Surely you must have something to say against some of the remaining terms, do you not?"

The response that the old man received was certainly not what he was expecting to hear:

"Actually," the prince gave him a polite smile. "There are _no_ terms, at least ones that I have read, that I have any objection against."

"Surely you have read the last term, yes?"

"Yes," the teenager nodded. "I have,

"But, I would like to ask you, Hokage-sama:" It was the prince's turn to raise his eyebrows as he asked his own question: "Why does it seem that it is _you_ who is against the terms offered by his own village; it _is_ one of the terms that you ask of us, correct?"

Hiruzen sighed. "Yes, it is true, but it doesn't exactly mean that I have to agree with it as well." The Sarutobi clan leader lowered his gaze, his hat covering his head in the process. "It was proposed by one of the council members, and many of them approved of it; despite the fact that the final decision was left to me, I was left to consider this;

"I would be lying if I said that this method isn't an effective political medium, it certainly is, but I am just not sure that it would be wise to ask this of your nation, much less of you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, after letting his thoughts on the statement be known, most certainly did _not_ expect to be replied with a small grin coming from the prince.

In fact, it almost reminded him of one that he received from a certain demon container.

_This boy reminds me so much of Naruto, but it is only __**so**__ obvious that, despite the similarity, I would rather Naruto be dead than he be this person._ Sarutobi mourned the loss of his surrogate grandson; he failed to protect someone that he cared about, and worse, he failed the request that the boy's late father had made. _This boy in front of me is __**far**__ too cold, too detached, for my own tastes. It would have been better that Naruto had been given the peace that he deserved than turn into this forked-tongued politician._

_I won't deny it, this boy is marvelous in the political arena, and at fifteen years of age as well; he managed to find the many traps that were placed on the contract, and he has turned this agreement into a two-sided, but airtight, deal, albeit for one statement, the last one on Konoha's list of terms…_

"Hiruzen-san," the prince began. "Surely you understand the, in the political arena, there is _very _little room for morals and doubt; such actions are very common, I have even been involved in one such arrangement before."

"What?" the Hokage's eyes widened at the revelation. "Won't such circumstances, if the arrangement had been successful, make you ineligible for this sort of deal?"

The blond shook his head. "No, due to my _special _situation, _and_ the shogun's law, I am allowed that arrangement for up to multiple degrees.

"_Do_ understand that such contracts are not uncommon on the _other_ side of the political arena; shinobi might find this uncommon, rare even, but neither I, nor anyone in my family for that matter, find this all too surprising."

"So, are you saying that's a 'yes'?" Hiruzen was not ignorant; he merely wanted to confirm the prince's statement. _Who knows what could happen if I misinterpret, even __**one**__ of his statements. The fallout would be cataclysmic._

The prince said nothing, but held a firm expression; he nodded.

Hiruzen had one, lone, reaction:

He sighed, heavily.

"Thank you, prince-san, you have _no_ idea how much your nation's allegiance means for this country."

The prince scoffed in humor at the kage's tone. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but do you think that it is appropriate to let yourself slip like that?

"If I had been any other politician, I would have, most _definitely_, taken advantage of such a show of emotion." The statement was followed by a slight laugh from the blond teenager. "Ah, but I am most certain that you, of course, had other reasons in your doing so, yes?

"But before anything else, how about we discuss the finer details of this last statement here."

"What of it would you like to know, prince-sama?" Hiruzen asked. "Do you have your sights set already?"

"Not really, but I am quite particular at what you have to offer with regard to this demand;" The teen said, his voice and disposition remaining the ultimatum of pleasant. "You see, there are certain…" the prince fell silent for a moment, as though trying to think of the correct word. "… _Factors_ that need to be looked into. It _won't_ do _anybody_ absolutely _any_ good if we went through with this deal, and it ended up falling apart, because certain parties were not left content."

Hiruzen did not say anything immediately; he remained silent with his hand caressing his chin as he thought of what to do next.

"I do believe, Hokage-sama," the prince said as he stood. "It would be best if you tried not to think about it too much, my father won't be arriving for another two days, and you have several weeks before you need to put this last term into effect." The prince turned to head out the door. "I shall see you tomorrow then."

Hiruzen sent the prince a warm smile. "Of course, I shall see you in the morning, then, prince?"

"Yes," the prince had his hand on the doorknob now. "You shall."

The Hokage heard the sound of the twisting doorknob, but he noticed that the prince did not do anything.

The old man's eyebrows furrowed slightly in curiosity. "Is there something wrong, prince-sama?"

"Not really, Hiruzen-san." The prince answered through the strained silence that seemed to envelop the room. "Well, at least not from you."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it would be better if he explained to you himself, don't you agree, father?" the prince returned the doorknob to its original state, and turned to the windowsill, looking to a black raven that was sitting on the aforementioned object.

This action, of course, prompted the third Hokage to do the same.

The raven let loose a slight chuckle, causing its plumage to shake along with its shoulders. "Still as sharp as ever, my son." It trained its grayish-purple gaze to the said teenager. "I feel that it is safe to assume that you had noticed me since the moment that I took my place here?"

"You assume correct." The prince decided to sit down at one of the couches within the office. "You arrived early; may I be so bold as to ask you why you are here, Amekage-sama?" the prince's voice took on a humorous tone.

"Ah, well," the raven turned to the Hokage, who was standing, looking at the talking bird; the old man's expression was, fortunately, blank. "I am here to check on the treaty terms." The bird looked to the blond, before looking to meet the kage's eyes.

"Please be aware, Hokage-senpai, that I am here in _mind_.

"For, in _all_ technicality, I am not actually here."

~TtT~

A dog's bark was heard as the team of seven jumped through the trees near the River-Sand border.

Two days had passed the Suna council came to decision: They decided that, despite not having enough ninja available to launch a full-scale manhunt, they would be able to send Temari, the Gaara's sister, and Matsuri, the kage's apprentice; they simply suffered too many losses from the Akatsuki border attack to send their jounin.

"What is it, Pakkun?" Kakashi asked his god summon. "Have you found the hideout?"

"I can't really say that I _found_ the hideout." The little pug said, from its place atop Kakashi's head. "It's more of I found a place that seems suspicious, and I feel that you should check it out." The pug looked to the branches above them. "Oi, Akino, I know your there."

The little brown dog was responded with a friendly bark that came from a golden-brown, sunglass-wearing dog that dropped from the forest canopy and kept pace with the group.

"You know where I mean to lead them, yes?" Pakkun asked his fellow dog.

Akino replied his colleague with another bark.

"Can you take them there?"

This time, Akino merely nodded; Pakkun did so, likewise, and jumped off Kakashi's head.

"Where are you going, Pakkun;" Kakashi queried. "It's not like you not to lead us someplace yourself; may I ask why?"

The pug looked sideways, toward his summoner. "Guruko, Shiba, Uhei, and Urushi, the other ninken, found several seals around the place Akino is taking you to; I'm going to check things out." Pakkun began to deviate from the route the group was following, slowly fading into the forest background. "Besides, you're in a hurry, right?

"Akino might not be the fastest among us, but he can certainly keep up." The pug could no longer be seen. "I'll see you then, Kakashi."

Kakashi replied with a closed eye, his covered expression gave the impression of a smile. "Thanks, Pakkun."

"Yeah, yeah," the dog said. "Just make sure that you don't go around getting yourself killed; else you might find yourself face-to-face with Naruto on the other side, and I know how much you wouldn't want _that_ to happen."

And the dog faded from sight and sound.

The atmosphere immediately became solemn after the statement was made.

Sasuke clenched his fists and jumped ahead of the group; Sakura fell back to fall to pace with Temari and Matsuri;

Kakashi looked down, and remained silent;

Temari and Matsuri, the two nin the Suna sent to assist in the rescue decided to give a moment of silence to their companions' fallen comrade;

Chiyo looked to each of the ninja's faces, curious;

While Tendo just kept moving, giving none of the people around him any attention.

Chiyo motioned for Temari to come close; the teen, of course, did accordingly.

"What is it, Chiyo-baa-sama?" the blonde asked the elder.

The old lady asked, in a soft whisper: "Temari-chan, do you, by any chance, know why these Konoha-nin acted like this suddenly; who is this '_Naruto_' person?"

Temari did not give an immediate answer, she merely kept going.

The said blonde, after a good five minutes, decided to speak: "Well-."

"He was a member of out team." Kakashi cut the Suna kunoichi off. "We lost him during the invasion attempt three years ago."

"He was a genin, then?" the elder asked; not waiting for an answer, she stated: "I heard, from the official casualty report, that Konoha suffered _no_ genin casualties; it was a document that was given to all sides, mandated by the shogun, Lord Urashima."

"That's true," it was Sasuke who spoke, not slowing down or looking back. "But the shogun mandated the report a week after the assault, and we _only_ discovered that he was missing twenty-three days later."

"Also," Sakura said, speeding up so she was side-by-side with Chiyo and Temari. "The circumstances of his loss were… _special_."

"Special in what way?" the old woman asked the fifteen-year-old, pink-haired teen.

The answer that Chiyo got was not something that would have been considered anything expected on a normal basis:

Tendo growled fiercely.

"What is it, Tendo-sama?" Matsuri voiced from the rear of the group, but, not letting down her guard, she drew out her rope dart, the one she received from her sensei when he first took her as his student.

The kage's student didn't bother to wait for an answer, and related her thoughts to the group: "Someone's coming."

Everyone started to look around, searching for signs of movement.

But it was Sakura who screamed: "Sasuke, in front of you!"

Sasuke, without looking at the object in front of him, immediately jumped as high as he could, and landed, just outside, the forest border; he looked back to find the tree that was in front of him was smashed in two, splinters and chunks of hardwood flying in every direction.

For good, measure, the others immediately took alternate routs through the higher branches, the sides, or on the ground.

"Oh," the assailant said, walking into view from the cover of the branches; the man stood on one of the branches of the tree's lower half. "Looks like I missed."

He was in an Akatsuki cloak, and his sword was on his shoulder.

He let out an amused grin. "I guess I'll just have to do better then, eh, Hatake-san?"

Everyone entered their respective battle stances.

"Well," Kakashi responded. "I'm sure that you could have done worse, Hoshigaki Kisame."

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Alright, QUESTIONS:

Unless _none_ of you have noticed, most, if not all, of my accounts at the start of each chapter have been stated by standard characters; this is different, what role do you suppose the shogun will fill?

Does anyone recognize the shogun's name?

In the first scene, the Amekage met with an unknown person after the former adjourned the mission briefing; who do you suppose the person is? Well, if you can't think of anyone, at least say what role do you expect the person to fulfill, or who the said person is in relation to the kage and the prince.

Also for the second scene, what can you conclude with regard to the kage's identity, or abilities, and the talking raven with glowing eyes?

In the third scene, Sarutobi Hiruzen discusses the treaty terms with the prince; what do you suppose the last statement id?

Also, why do you think Hiruzen would rather Naruto _not_ be the prince? (I mean other than what I already said)

In the last scene, were any of the characters ooc?

Last question: What do you think of the chapter as a whole?


	11. The Glory of Battle

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did, then… well, a LOT of things would have changed… oh, and this fic would become canon. O_o

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Hi people, it's good to be back for this update of the prince of rain.

Responses:

BloodySeraphim – I believe that some people change the usage of the suffix depending on thr situation. Kudos to you for pointing that detail out ^_^

ching965 – thank you for sharing your opinion with the rest of us, ching. Also, I found out that Pakkun was responsible for a little bit of ironic humor in the series.

wind797 – true, it has been a whiole since the pair talked, but do not fret for they _may_ be talking soon.

adventureFINAL – excellent insight; I _do_ hope that you will be willing to share with us again in this chapter.

Selonianth – you know, I never _did_ believe the rumors that circulated that Pein was Minato, and I probably never will support it. This fic is not one of those things. Also, I know that the chapters could have been longer, but I am already struggling to update regularlym and I don't want to make things take longer than what I think is necessary.

Ithio – wait, _**HOW**_ is Kisame ooc? (this is not sarcasm or insult, I genuinely want to know how)

Paimon – yes, I hope I am able to do so as well. ^_^

Elemental-Zer0 – one again, zero, thank you for the excellent review. You brought up a lot of good points, well based and thought out. I would be lying if I said that your reviews aren't giving me new ideas for this story. Thank you.

To the rest of you – as I said, your answers to the questions help me progress the plot; I am able to gain new ideas, and work on them. I am able to stew on the information, and change it into something that can fit into what I have planned for the story. So please answer the questions.

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster and Christoph Zar, the one and the same.

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_

Chapter Eleven:

The Glory of Battle

"_Combat is beautiful thing._

"_The clashing of wills, the oppression of existences, the spilling of peoples' blood; I find it exhilarating._

"_Too bad there are only too few people that agree with me on that._

"_As shinobi, we are obliged to participate in the trials of combat; one just, simply, does not take up our profession if one does not possess the understanding of the concepts of battle and bloodshed._

"_And only a fool would fight without being able to appreciate the glory that one can find within the heat of battle."_

-Uzumaki Naruto

~TtT~

"Leader," the voice of Deidara echoed through the cavern that the sealing was occurring in. "Do you think Kisame-san will be enough to deal with those kids?"

It was Zetsu who spoke up next: "Deidara-san is right, leader." The hologram looked to the one that was situated on the statue's right thumb. "The Konoha nin are getting closer."

The leader did not respond immediately, taking leisure in his actions. "There is no _real_ need to be worried, Zetsu; the Konoha nin are not that adept, probably genin accompanied by a jounin." The leader turned to the hologram of the plant-like-man. "Although, I would like you to inform us of their numbers, will you be so kind as to do so?"

Zetsu nodded: "there apparently appear to be a team of, a four genin; two from leaf and two from sand, one jounin, and Sasori-san's grandmother."

"Chiyo, the old woman is still alive?" the solid image of a hunch-backed man asked his compatriots. "I was hoping that she would have died _years_ ago."

"Well, puppet bastard," Hidan's hologram piped. "It seems that your assumption was wrong."

In retaliation to the insult, Sasori sent the religious a cold glare.

"Leader," Sasori then turned to Pein's image. "How much longer until this accursed sealing is done? I would hate to make our visitors wait."

Pein's response was sending the puppet master a passing glance before giving the sealing his full attention once again. "It won't be much longer." He turned to Kisame. "Hold them off for as long as you can, Kisame-san;" the leader looked to the person occupying the insert finger placement here finger of the nine dragon seal. "Itachi-san," the leader said, his voice as cold, and emotionless, as ever. "It will take us about another half-hour to finish things here; make sure that Kisame can hold things off longer, but make sure that you do not participate, at least as long as you don't need to."

There was a pause before Pein spoke once more.

"Am I understood, Uchiha Itachi?"

The leader was not given a verbal answer; all Pein got from the Uchiha was a short nod before Itachi disappeared.

"Leader," it was Kakuzu this, time that, spoke. "What happens if the two cannot defeat the shinobi? It's not that I don't trust them, it's just that anything could be possible."

"You make a good point, Kakuzu." Pein stated, still keeping his eyes on the sealing process occurring in front of him. "Although, it doesn't matter whether or not they achieve victory." The leader looked to the cave's ceiling. "The highest priority is that they are able to delay our visitors long enough for us to complete that sealing ritual."

The speaker turned to Sasori and Deidara. "The role of fighting, and, hopefully, killing the coming intruders falls to the both of you; don't disappoint."

"Although, Pein, the banker has a point." Konan said from her place on the statue's right, middle finger. "It couldn't hurt to have a backup plan."

Pein nodded. "Alright then; how about we discuss how we are going to go about this '_backup plan_.'"

~TtT~

"Heh," Kisame raised his free hand, and pointed it toward the group, the index and middle finger pointing forward while the rest of his body enclosed into a fist. "**Suiton: Sensatsu Suisho! **(A Thousand Needles of Death)"

The opposing team reacted before the jutsu even began to take effect:

"Sasuke, Sakura, get back." Kakashi called out before turning to Temari: "Temari-san, please move to the front; I think you are best suited to dealing with this."

Despite her curiosity, she complied, readying her fan as she saw the countless water needles form around the group.

"What about the rest?" she asked the jounin captain. "I can't take all of this, at least not without taking you people out as well."

"I don't think you should worry about that, Temari-chan." Chiyo said, still using her more cheerful voice. "Just take out what you can; we'll do the rest."

And the senbon flew.

In response, the team began their sequence:

Temari began: "**Fuuton: ****Kamaitachi no Jutsu! **(Wind Scythe Jutsu)" the blonde swung her large, iron fan, sending a large gale of wind blades at the senbon coming from their front.

Consequently, the half of the flying needles were eliminated, and the trees that were stationed at the clearing, including the remnants of the plant that Kisame was standing on, were riddled with deep cuts.

Kakashi, after receiving a nod from the old elder in their group, immediately threw a smoke bomb onto the ground they were standing on, concealing them.

Also, unfortunately for the Akatsuki member, the remains of the tree he was standing on could no longer support his weight, and let the man fall as the remaining senbon struck the group's rear area.

_That should be able to take care of some of them._ Kisame thought with a grin of sharp teeth as he fell to the ground.

"**Fuuton: ****Shippuukei! ****(Wind Style: Hurricane whip)****" **Kisame's grin turned to a sneer as a rope dart flew out of the smoke, a spiral of wind surrounding it, causing the mist to follow behind the sharp piece of steal; the weapon moved so quickly that, by the time that Kisame tried to move his sword, both his legs were already bound by the rope, the metal dart moving with the air currents that passed him as he fell.

Unfortunately for the falling shinobi, the situation was expounded, yet again:

**"****Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!** (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)" multiple fireballs flew out of the smoke, the force of their movement causing the, already dissipating smoke, which was first caused by the Shippuukei, to, finally, disperse, revealing the Uchiha to have been the jutsu's catalyst.

_What the bloody hell!?_ Kisame, not wanting to be burned by that many fireballs, threw Samehada into the air as he flashed through several seals: "**Suiton: Mizurappa **(Water Style: Raging Waves)" while his hands remained in the position of a tiger seal, Kisame sent out a concentrated stream of water, putting out the many fireballs that had been aimed at him, only to see a boulder that had been hurled at him by Haruno Sakura.

Kisame caught his bandage-wrapped sword, and blocked the boulder; we was now, only a few meters above the ground now.

The large boulder, although, prevented him from seeing the person charging at him from the other side.

But Kisame _did_ hear the sound of a thousand flapping wings.

"**Habataku Chidori! **(One Thousand Flapping Birds)" the rock that has been thrown at the, former, mist shinobi shattered to reveal Hatake Kakashi holding, what appeared to be, a Chidori of black lightning.

"Shit." Was all Kisame could say as the jutsu was plunged through his heart.

~TtT~

Kakashi ran past the falling Kisame, plunging his Habataku Chidori through the swordsman's heart, the action caused the team to lax slightly at the apparent victory.

Kakashi turned to go back to his companions when he saw Kisame's corpse turn into a puddle of water. "Sakura!" he shouted to the med-nin. "He-!"

Sakura didn't even need to hear him finish, or look around for that matter; she cracked her knuckles as she told everyone: "Guys, I think you should _all_ jump away," she raised her fist to strike at the ground bellow her. "… _now_."

There was no need for any further evaluation.

The ninja that were near her immediately jumped into the air as her fist impacted with the rock they were standing on, sending stone chunks flying, and a certain Hoshigaki Kisame from the ground, Samehada held above his head with both hands.

_Damn,_ he thought with a growl. _How did they see through my 'Dochu Senko? _(Earth Style: Underground Shark Jutsu)_'_

He was left unable to answer the question as Temari swung her fan at him: "**Fuuton: Daitoppa! **(Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)" Kisame held tight as he was thrown, by the blast of wind, over the distance of twenty meters.

_Heh,_ Kisame thought as he got into his stance: his legs were spread apart, his right leg in front of his left, Samehada held, with both hands, in front of him. _These kids are pretty good. I'm going to enjoy this._ He remained still as he saw Kakashi run back to the group.

Meanwhile, Chiyo took the slight reprieve to stare at Sakura in slight awe. _This girl… _the old woman sent a look to the damage that was done: there was now a miniature valley where the team once stood; large slabs of rock were seen lying everywhere. She looked to the girl once more, impressed. _This girl will become a great kunoichi in the future._ Chiyo then looked to their opponent. _**Provided**__ she lived that long._

"Now that I've gotten to see you people in action," Kisame aid with a toothy grin. "You're pretty good." He gave each of them a critical eye.

"Although," Kisame's grin got a little wider. "I _still_ doubt whether or not you guys can take me down."

Of course, this taunt would not go unanswered.

Sasuke charged forward, Chidori in hand, as the sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air.

Kisame scoffed at the Uchiha's hubris. _Looks like Itachi's prediction was right; his brother would become short tempered._ The Akatsuki member formed a one-handed seal before moving for a downward slash.

Among things that could have happened, Kisame did not expect to be rained down with multiple explosions that originated from a large set of kunai as they landed on the ground.

Matsuri, who had jumped into the air when Sasuke was halfway to Kisame, called out the name of her jutsu as her daggers were pulled back to her by the ninja wire that was tied to the rings on the daggers' hilts: "**Bakuchiku Kunai! ****(Firecracker Daggers)"**

_There he is. _Sasuke thought as he saw a blurred image through the smoke; _You're done, Hoshigaki Kisame!_ Sasuke thrust his, Chidori-charged, hand forward, expecting to feel the wet feeling of blood splattering against his arm.

He felt it. _It's done._ Sasuke, despite his relief, made it a point to keep his emotions intact, knowing it better to show no emotion even though his opponent was, most definitely, going to die.

Although, as the moments passed, Sasuke noticed something that made a chill run up his spine:

The blood was cold.

Behind the, slowly clearing, smoke, a voice called out: "**Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu. **(Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu)"

The liquid that Sasuke felt against his skin quickly ran up his arm, and engulfed him, thus becoming a sphere of water that he remembered all too well.

_Shit!_ Sasuke thought when he discovered the fact that he couldn't move. _This is the same jutsu that Zabuza used three years ago._ Sasuke stopped struggling when he felt that he wouldn't be able to anyway; it didn't wipe the scowl of his face, however. I _might as well save my strength._

"Looks like I got you now, kid." The smoke was now little enough to allow Sasuke to see the form of Hoshigaki Kisame, his clothes slightly singed and pars of his cloak burned off completely, and two other clone companions. "You ain't going anywhere now."

Sasuke's scowl deepened as he narrowed his eyes through his Sharingan. "How-?"

Kisame let out a little laugh before he said his answer, stirring the Uchiha's ire. "It was back when you charged me." Kisame continued to speak as several more water clones began to emerge from the prison that trapped Sasuke. "I formed two water clones that I kept hidden underground." The water clones had separated from the liquid sphere, and were now standing as separate beings. "I think you can figure what happened next."

"But what about the water," Sasuke queried, genuinely curious. "Doesn't the Suiro no jutsu require a large water source?"

The clone that held the prison let out a boisterous laugh while the original Kisame answered the Uchiha's question while the former pointed to the ground. "Underground water, Uchiha-san." Kisame motioned to the other clones, sending them to attack the team, before he continued. "With enough chakra, _any_ half-assed water-using shinobi should be able find suitable sources of water, underground or otherwise." Kisame shot the Uchiha an arrogant grin "Now, Uchiha-san," the blue-skinned-man motioned to Sasuke's teammates. "How about we enjoy the show, eh?"

~TtT~

Haruno Sakura was _not_ in a good mood.

_Curse these god damn clones!_ She screamed inside her mind as she jumped over the strike of one of the water clones that Kisame sent at them. She dropped to the ground just in time to duck below the swing of the second clone.

Each of the team members were engaged in combat against three clones. _And I don't think that __**any**__ of them are liking the idea of being beaten down a by mob of water clones._ Sakura sent one of her chakra-enhanced punches at a third clone that appeared to be going through some hand-seals, only for the blow to be blocked by a wall of water.

"**Suiton: ****Suijinheki. **(Water Style: Water Encampment Wall)" said the first clone.

_Shit, _Sakura thought, a bitter taste in her mouth as the thought of swift defeat passed through her mind. _This doesn't look good, at all._ Time seemed to slow down as she began to look around, checking the state her comrades were in:

Kakashi was, currently, driving a kunai into the arm of another clone while the one that was situated behind him was about to raise the last's sword for a downward slash; a third clone was nowhere to be seen.

Chiyo was locked in a stalemate with the three clones, none of the four participants moving as they each, somehow, held each others' arms. _How'd that happen?_

Temari was fighting her set of three clones with her giant fan; she used the said weapon as a sword as the four busybodies moved across the battlefield.

Matsuri was something else entirely:

She was like a dancing maiden. _More like an __**Iron Maiden**_. Matsuri was pulling back on some wire, the six sickles that were tied to their ends followed behind, tearing at the opponents she was facing. Her other hand was withdrawing, from one of her kunai holsters, seven kunai with explosive notes wrapped around the blades, and dangling from the hilt rings; she was fighting the Kisame clones like a woman possessed.

Tendo was still at the forest edge, watching the fight unfold from his perch on the branches. _What the-?_

Sakura changed the subject of her thoughts as she remembered the situation that she was in.

_Alright: think, think. _She stated calmly, the movements of the world still greatly slowed around her. _What options do we have? Kakashi-sensei seems to be doing fine, but I don't think he has the opportunity to help me._

_I don't think Chiyo-baa-sama can even __**move**__!_

_Temari-senpai seems too into her fight to pay me any attention,_

_And I don't even __**want**__ to know what's going through Matsuri-chan's mind right now._

_Alright, back to dealing with the problem;_ Sakura thought. _None of the clones around me have gone for deathblows, just disabling strikes and defense techniques;_

_The only time they seem to try to land a deathblow is when the opportunity is at its possible worst._

_But wait,_ Sakura's thoughts on the situation continued to pour out now that she took the time to think. _Why are they __**not**__ going for killing blows in the first place._

_Well, it __**obviously**__ means that this Kisame person is up to something;_

_The question is: What?_

Her question was answered with the sound of a powerful wave coming at them.

Time began to move for her once more as she looked in the direction.

All the clones stopped moving, dispelling when their opponents saw the opening.

After taking out their clones, the team saw the wave.

It was the size of a tsunami, given the fact that Kisame had all the time he wanted to prepare it.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called from the distance. "The Kisame here was a mud clone!"

It was then that the Uchiha saw the wave.

No one moved, unable to comprehend the fact that they were about to be crushed by such a huge wave.

It was then that they were interrupted: "**Ame no Suiton: Daisuiryuudan. **(Rain Water Style: Great Water Dragon Bullet)"

* * *

Aw damn that was hard.

QUESTIONS:

In this chapter's account, i used Naruto as the speaker; why do you suppose i did that?

How do you think this account displays his change of personality? (if any change at all)

Pein has sent Itachi to delay the group, how do you think the change of events will affect this coming part of the Shippuuden series?

What do you suppose this backup plan is?

Can you give me your opinion in the fight? It's my first fight scene since I started writing fanficiton, and I need some input on how I write these things.

Can you identify the my original jutsu? If so, what do you think of the names, and effects?

As you know, Matsuri was never given much of a part in the Naruto series; I gave her a, slightly, larger role to fill. What do you think of this change in the plot?

I gave Sakura a monologue, of sorts. What can you conclude of her current character based on this part of the chapter?

Regarding the flow of the fight, what opinion can you give on how I made the fight proceed? (this question in different form the third question; the third asks regarding writing style descriptions and etc., this one is about the plot of the battle.)

* * *

Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this piece of work, so far.

Hope you read the next update,

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster and Christoph Zar, the one and the same._


	12. The Coming of the Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Hey everyone! Here's this weeks update of the Prince of Rain!

I'll be honest when I say that I'm not too confident with this chapter; it just feels like something's missing…

Anyway, I wanted to ask for your feedback here so, at least, I can think of ways to improve.

* * *

Selonianth – interesting answers, although, it seems, you mixed up some of my originals with the pre-existing ones. Thanks for answering.

Namikaze Knight – I thank you for the comlimenting my writing; I just hope that I can continue to please you readers : ) . The Q&A thing is something I observed from other authors, and I decided to implement it here.

adventureFINAL – thank you for the great review.

Thank you, all of you.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

The Coming of the Storm

"_Never forget to appreciate that which we see, for beauty lies in everything around us._

"_Also, never forget to take notice of the insignificant, lest you suffer in the end._

"'_Why?' you ask?_

"_The answer is simple:_

"_In each object lies potential;_

"_A potential that can be made use of;_

"_Potential, that, in a sentient's hands, can make, or break, what you set out to do."_

_-_The Kyuubi no Kitsune

~TtT~

Kisame kept his charge forward, a predatory grin on his face, not paying any attention to the person that called out the jutsu's name.

That is until the wave was meters away from Chiyo, who happened to be the person closest to the attack at the time.

All the battle ceased as the clones had been taken out when the jutsu had covered half the distance it was when it was first seen.

_Shit._ Kisame thought when he noticed that the chakra he placed within the water was being drained away. _What the heck-?_

Kisame did not get the opportunity to finish as he was suddenly thrown into the air when the wave of water he was standing on stopped moving forward and suddenly expanded outward.

_This ain't good._ Kisame regained his balance while he watched, helplessly, what once was, his jutsu began to move forward diagonally, the water spinning in a double helix, and beginning to gather together.

_That shape…_ Kisame pointed out when the water finally began to take on a definite form.

The rescue team did not wait for the jutsu to completely take shape to act, and immediately formed a circle, their backs to each other.

_At least this way, we can maximize our defensive abilities. _Kakashi thought as he drew a kunai from the latter's pouch. _Although,_ he looked to the water, following it as the liquid began to follow a circle around them. _The water is moving rather slow for an attack._ he continued to observe. "Guys," he addressed to his companions. "What do you think of this little situation we are in?"

It was Temari who answered him: "Honestly?" there was a short pause, as though the blonde girl was waiting for an answer. "I _really_ don't know;" her voice began to take on a darker tone as she continued: "I just hope that the person who used that jutsu, whoever he is, is on our side."

"Well," Chiyo chuckled. "We're about to find out now, aren't we?"

No one gave the old woman an answer; all they did was watch the water as it started to spiral at a faster rate, the stray streams and droplets coming closer together. The liquid had now made a half-circle around a one-kilometer radius around the battlefield.

Kisame scoffed. _Heh, looks like its going for me._ He concluded when he noticed that he was positioned at the circle's edge. _This will be hard to get through, but…_ He returned Samehada to its holster on his back, and went through some hand seals; he held the said appendages at the position of the Serpent seal. Kisame looked down. _I was thrown pretty high up;_ he looked back to the returned his gaze to the coming body of water. _I won't make it to the ground before that thing hits me._ His scowl turned to a grin. _Looks like Samehada will end up having a decent meal._

The water had now circled seventy-five percent of the area, and was now a solid column of snaking matter, roughly voluminous enough to be compared to a sea in terms of water content.

~TtT~

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke called from his place. "Recognize that jutsu?"

Kakashi, no longer keeping his guard up, but looking at the jutsu, answered: "Yeah," he nodded. "Although, it seems to be, at least, fifty to sixty times larger," Kakashi looked to Sasuke then back to the water. "But it isn't a normal water dragon either, _no_ dragon would be big enough to make use of that much water"

"No heck." Sasuke said. "But it's a _hell _lot slower too."

Kakashi nodded again. "Yeah, that too."

~TtT~

"Looks like we're on then, Samehada." Kisame released the seal, and placed his right hand over his sword's handle. "I hope you're hungry." He saw the dragon's head form from the corner of his eye. "'Cause you're gonna' be gettin' a _hell_ of a meal!"

From within the dragon's head, a voice resounded: "**Daisuiryuu no Ago! **(Jaws of the Great Water Dragon)" the maws of the dragon opened, ready to clamp down on the target that was no larger than one of its teeth.

"**Mizohanguriken! ****(Starved Draining Blade)"** Kisame cried as he drew Samehada from its holster and into a sideward slash, smashing it against the jaws, subsequently sending water flying in every other direction. The dragon began to rise higher, still following its circular direction, and taking the Akatsuki member with it.

The dragon was unrelenting, passing its foe, and then circling back for another attack; Kisame, of course, continued to change strikes with the large elemental beast, not letting up as Samehada tore through the water.

"Kakashi-san," Temari said. "Shouldn't we do something?" she got into her stance, and brandished her large fan. "He's a sitting duck out there."

"But it doesn't matter." The group looked to Tendo, who was walking toward them from the forest. "He's too high up for any of your attacks to reach."

Sasuke nodded, but told the fox: "And where have _you_ been, Tendo-sama?"

The fox shook his head. "That is not important right now, Uchiha-chan," Tendo looked to the sky. "What _is_ important right now is the you watch." The fox turned, and began to walk away. "Keep your attention on the battlefield lest you find yourself dead."

The Uchiha had been about to ask a question when he felt water start to fall on him. _I don't like how that water's falling_ the prodigy looked up to see the dragon attempt a diving attack on Kisame, who, in some manner, was directly above them.

_Kisame's sword,_ Kakashi noticed. _It's glowing; it's draining the dragon's chakra._ He started to look around frantically, seeing the, slowly strengthening, rain around them; he looked to the battle above them. _The jutsu won't last the next clash._ He took another look around, and he could only think one coherent thought:

_Shit, there's too much water to dodge. Once the jutsu gives, we're dead_

It was at this time that the dragon made contact with the bandaged blade, the former, finally, falling through, no longer able to maintain its form.

The rescue party looked up in absolute horror as they saw their impeding doom; although, Tendo let loose a low growl, and got into a pouncing stance.

Then came the call: "**Doton: Yomi Numa! **(Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld)"

All the ground around the team, for a three kilometer radius, was transformed into sludgy mud, consequently, causing the team to sink.

Sakura clenched her fists. _Things are only getting worse._ She shut her eyes tight as she felt the mud rise to her ankles. _So this how it ends, _the pink-haired-girl berated herself. _Left with nothing but pain and despair; never succeeding, always failing._ She felt tears pooling in her eyes. _I failed to help the team back at the exams;_ _I failed to help Naruto, and he paid the ultimate price, all so I, and the rest of the village, could make it through the invasion._ She bit down on her lower lip. _I couldn't even find his body! _She paused, opening her eyes, and looking to the water that was coming to crash down on them.

_No!_ She shook her head while wiping the tears away. _I have to keep on going!_ She glared at the falling water, a look of utmost determination in her eyes. _For Naruto!_

"Temari-san," Sakura turned to the blonde Suna-nin. "Can you still use your fan?"

Temari, seeing the look in the other teen's eyes, held up her fan. "Yeah, you got a plan?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I need you to break a hole through the water." The speaker's expression immediately soured. _But wait, how am I going to get there?_ She bit the nail on her thumb. _How could I have not thought of that!?_

This thought was followed by the upward push that forced them out of the mud, solidifying of the brown sludge they were sinking into "You are going to need a little more than just wind to make it through this, child." asked a person as he phased through the stone island they were standing on. He was dressed in a gray, long-sleeved coat, and a wide-brimmed, flat-topped, rattan hat, his face concealed by, both, the said hat and his coat's collar. "You will need a means to get to that height, and _I_ can help you there."

Kakashi gave a nod, and said: "Normally, I would ask you who you were, but…" he looked to the falling sea, which was now close enough to cause a rain, of sorts, to fall around them. "We can't really choose who's help we employ."

The man nodded; he looked to Sakura. "Ready when you are."

Sakura returned the action, then got into her stance, "Now, Temari-san."

The blonde did not nod; she bit down on her thumb, wiping it against her open fan, and got into her offensive stance.

And so the mental countdown began:

_Five…_

Kakashi looked toward the oncoming object. _Let's hope this works._

_Four…_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _This had better work, for __**all**__ our sakes._

_Three…_

Temari brought her arms back a little more. _Got to make this count; got to get the swing strong enough. _

_God, I hope I still have enough chakra to fight after this._

_Two…_

Sakura's eyes narrowed. _I'm not giving up, not anymore._

_One…_

The new man formed his seals.

"Go!" Sakura shouted, as Temari swung her fan, shouting:

"**Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai! **(Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance)"

She was followed by the stranger who called:

"**Doton: Ganchuuso**! (Earth Style: Rock Pillars Rising)"

The weasel spiraled out of the smoke generated by the fan, and glided toward the water while the ground Sakura was standing on started to elevate, and then shoot out as a column of earth, following closely after Temari's summon.

_That's right…_ Sakura's world slowed to a near-halt as she rode the rising stone. _Things change, even when we don't want them to._ She crouched low, and held fast as the pillar began to gain speed. _But what __**can**__ we do?_

_Even with the degree of control we have over our lives, there are some things that are, simply, out of our hands._

_But we can't give up!_

_Pain and suffering are part of life; they're things we have to deal with,_

_And I'd be damned if I continue to let fate have its hold over me!_ A sad smile manifested over Sakura's features. _It's true that I'm not happy;_

_It's true that I regret;_

_It's true that I should have treated Naruto better,_

_But else can I do?_

… _He's gone. _Her fist clenched a little tighter at the thought.

The weasel dived into the falling body of water before disappearing, the wind that it controlled exploding outward, and forming a void within the liquid.

Her sad face then turned to one of stark determination. _But…_

She drew her fist back a little farther, glaring at Kisame, who was locked in mid-air combat with another gray-clad shinobi. The Akatsuki member had just blocked a kick to the head, when he caught sight of her.

Sakura's drawn back fist started blazing with chakra. _But that isn't the end of the world._ She jumped with all her might, using the force of the stone column to augment the force of her flying punch. _He always kept going, never giving up, nor losing, and I __**won't **__let him say, about me, otherwise._ Kisame spun his sword in an effort to block the attack. _And if I can't fight to protect him anymore, _"then the best I can do is fight in memoriam!"

She thrust forward as the Ame shinobi pulled back. The chakra-charged fist blasted its full load onto the opponent; Kisame couldn't even scream when he was sent through the sky.

_I did it._ Sakura thought as she began to fall from the sky, her body finally giving in to the stress brought about by the travel, the battle, and her own inner turmoil.

She was already falling head first when she was caught by the Ame shinobi who was distracting Kisame prior to her attack; wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder, he began to make one-handed seals with the other:

"**Suiton: Shinsei Keiro! **(Water Style: The Truest Path.)" Water from the larger mass of liquid shot toward them, creating a tunnel, of sorts, that they passed through it; the vertical cylinder spun about, creating enough speed with its current to generate an upward draft, thereby, slowing the pair's fall.

The shinobi looked to the girl he was holding; he smiled. "Good work, kid." The man whispered as he landed softly on the ground, the former surrounded by the other shinobi. "Do-senpai," the one holding Sakura turned to his companion.

Do Tokugawa did not need his partner to say anything else; he immediately formed several hand signs: "**Doton: Doryuu Joheki!** (Earth Style: Rampart of Flowing Soil)"

Immediately, the ground the group was standing on began to shake, catching the others off balance. After several seconds of shuddering, the earth rose up, creating a flat-topped landmass that rose to fifty meters in height.

_I see._ Sasuke thought, looking to the user, than to the water that was already less than ten meters above them. "Brace yourselves." He told everyone.

The reaction was immediate; all the people present immediately sent chakra to their feet, so as not to be washed away by the oncoming onslaught.

The water impacted with the rest of the ground around the group, sending waves crashing against them, and making the plateau shake with the force of the hit. The violent material washed over the surface of the land mass, causing some of the people to, nearly, be carried away by the waves.

As the second set of waves hit them, Kakashi looked around, trying to check in on the status of the group. _Looks like all of them are doing fine._ He felt himself sigh in relief. _I wonder how that fox is doing?_ Kakashi looked in the direction he thought he remembered the fox was last.

It was then he caught sight of something he _never _expected to see.

~TtT~

It took a while, but, after several minutes, the waves finally stopped, leaving the group on a stone island in the middle of a large lake, one that was, roughly, four to five kilometers in diameter.

No one spoke, when the water stilled; no one moved, they all just stood there, as though waiting for some sort of signal.

In the end, it was Matsuri who took it upon herself to make the first move:

She stepped forward, standing front and center, and bowed to the two people who saved them. "Thank you for the help, Do-sama, Sui-senpai; we would not have made it if you had not come."

Now standing side-by-side, the one to the sand kunoichi's left waved his right hand in dismissal. "There is no need to thank us, Matsuri-chan; we were simply performing our duties."

Kakashi stepped forward, taking the space to Matsuri's right: "I presume, then," he said with a cheerful voice. "That you are the team the Prince mentioned he would be sending?"

The shinobi that spoke to Matsuri nodded, his wide hat emphasizing the movement. "Yes, that is the case, Hatake-san." he gestured to his companion. "This is my partner for this mission, Do Tokugawa." He then moved to point his thumb toward himself. "And I'm Sui Toyotomi," Toyotomi held out his hand to the silver-haired jounin. "… nice to meet you."

Kakashi took hold of the offered hand, and gave Toyotomi a pleasant handshake. "A pleasure to meet you too." Kakashi smiled from under his mask. _They don't seem that bad, well, at least for now. _"And thanks for the save back there; we appreciate the help." The rest of the ninja in the background, aside from Tendo, nodded in affirmation to the jounin's words.

After the tow shinobi let go of the other's hands, Kakashi walked back to his companions, stretched his arms to his sides, and said: "Well, team, how about we introduce ourselves?" he looked to the Uchiha. "Sasuke, how about you go first?"

The boy nodded, and faced the new additions, raising his hand in front of him, as though eh was waving at them. "Hi, name's Uchiha Sasuke, nice to meet you."

Kakashi gave Sasuke a blank look before speaking. "Sasuke, can't you give them a better introduction?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, maybe I'll reintroduce myself some other time." The Uchiha stretched his arms upward. "I'm tired, and we still have a _hell_ lot more of fighting to do."

Sakura stared at Sasuke, opening her mouth to reprimand him. "Sasu-."

"Yeah, yeah." Kakashi waved the raved-haired-boy off, stopping Sakura from completing her first word. "I'm tired too."

"No shit for you." Sasuke smirked at his sensei. "You used _my_ 'Habataku Chidori'; _of course_ you'd be tired!"

Kakashi's reply was a sheepish grin, unseen as it was, a scratch to the head, and the words: "I guess I got carried away a little; I thought that I got the real Kisame."

Sasuke immediately deadpanned. "_How_? You're a goddamned _jounin_, sensei! How the _hell_ could you have missed it?"

"You know, Sasuke," Kakashi looked to his student with a sad smile. "You're starting to act like a certain teammate of yours everyday."

The effect was swift and severe: the silence that emanated from the three was heavy and ominous.

After several moments, Tokugawa, knowing that it was the worst possible time for emotionality, acted:

"Well, now," he then coughed into his fist to get everyone's attention. "Why don't we finish up with the introductions." He looked to Sakura. "Miss?"

The girl nodded. "Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura, and-."

"That will have to do, little one." The voice was heard from under the water, causing all the genin to enter their battle stance. "We do not have any more time."

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked calmly, keeping his eyes on the spot that he believed the voice came form. _What are you?_

"Calm yourself, Uchiha-chan," Tendo chided. "The source of the voice is not hostile." The fox looked to the other shinobi, as though wanting Sasuke to follow the former's gaze. "As you can see," Tendo looked back to the Uchiha. "Only _you_ genin are reacting."

Sasuke sent another look to Kakashi. "Does that mean the Kakashi-sensei knows this person?"

Tendo shook his head. "No, he does not," the fox began to walk toward the edge of the island, which was ten, or so, meters away. "But one must study the reactions of one's allies, and act accordingly." The fox stopped at the edge, sat down, and looked over his shoulder to look at Sasuke, who was currently following him. "Remember that being a shinobi is, more or less, the same as being a politician; one _must_ be able to keep face in front of others, lest your village suffer for your action, or, rather, in this case, your _re-_action."

Once Sasuke reached the fox, Tendo looked to the water. "Chikushodo," the fox decreed. "You say that we do not have time, yet you procrastinate your appearance; come out, brother."

The fox was answered with an explosion of water that was caused by the sudden surfacing of a large water creature; in this case, a turtle.

The large, red snapping turtle floated atop the deep water; torrents of the said liquid flowed down the spaces between the triangular spikes of its shell. Its head turned, directing it s piercing purple gaze to each of the shinobi present, its long buffalo horns moving with it.

"Everyone," Tendo stood then turned around to face the group before him. "I wish you to meet my brother."

* * *

DONE!!!

I seriously thought I would _**never**_ finish this chapter.

* * *

Questions:

At the beginning of this chapter, I made use of the Kyuubi for the stating of the account. What role do you think it will play in this story?

What do you think the account means? Is the statement useful in real life?

Was Kisame OOC in this chapter? Please tell, I'm feeling slightly insecure with maintaining character for this story.

During the fight scene, what do you think of the assist from Toyotomi and Tokugawa, what can you conclude with their fighting style?

Also, what do you think of the stated two; what can you say about the characters of the two new additions to the rescue team?

What do you think of the Sakura's monologue for this chapter?

In this chapter, I concluded the battle between Kisame and the rescue team. Can you please give your opinion on how I ended the conflict?

At the conclusion of the fight, what do you think Tendo did that surprised Kakashi?

During the aftermath of the fight, what changes in character came to the surface, especially with team seven?

What do you think of the team's reaction to the mention of Naruto, indirect as it may be.

Can you give comments on Tendo's conversation with Sasuke?

Lastly, how was the chapter as a whole? I did not fell to confident with the way it began, and I was hoping for your opinion on the matter.

* * *

Last message:

I know this story is very serious, and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to make an omake, of sorts, that can be added to the chapter's end, just for a last laugh…

Anyway, just pm me if any of you are interested.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster


	13. Courage, Cowardice, and Humiliation

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not the property of Toph the Trickster, lest the world come to an end within the next half hour while you read this chapter.

* * *

Before we begin this LATE update, I would like to do several things:

First, I apologize for my late update; school has been murder, and, with my finals rolling-in in the next month, I will end up having less time to work on this story.

Second, a warning to the faint of heart: the second-to-the-last scene you may find a little disturbing.

Also, sorry for the last chapter, I _**really**_ felt that it was half-assed in quality, and I knew that I could do better, and considering the fact that so few people reviewed, I'm thinkin' that you agree with me. **: )**

I made it a point to make this chapter a little longer than the last as compensation.

Again: I'm sorry for the late update, and please don't expect _**any**_ regular updates over the next month.

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster, counterpart of the, clinically insane, Lord Christoph Zar

* * *

_

Chapter Thirteen:

Courage, Cowardice, and Humiliation

"_If you wish to stay and fight, vary well; I shall not hinder you._

"_**But**__ understand that, while courage is commendable, foolish arrogance is frowned upon here,_

"_And also know that there is only a __**fine**__ line between the two."_

- The Mistress of Ame

~TtT~

"It seems," Pein sighed softly as he cast a glance across the large cavern. "That Konan's words held some merit." He sent his grayish-purple gaze to the unmoving sabaku no Gaara. "They are upon us." The Akatsuki leader looked to the intangible appearance of Zetsu. "Zetsu, Where are they?"

"They are currently at the border, leader-sama," said the hologram, causing the leader's eyebrow to rise.

"In short," Pein said. "They have yet to move, have they?"

Zetsu shook his head. "No, leader-sama, they just took out Kisame; they have yet to leave the battlegrounds."

Pein nodded. "Very well." Returning his hands to the sealing position, the leader addressed his next words to the group: "Kisame has bought us some time; the sealing should take no longer than another eight minutes." This announcement, of course, was returned with a positive reaction from the group of missing-nin. "_Although_," Pein added. "We will have to go with the backup plan since Kisame had been…" the Akatsuki leader paused, as though thinking of the proper word. "_Removed_, you are going to have to slow them down.

"Are you at your respective positions?" he asked two of the images who were stationed at the left index and middle, respectively; they nodded. "Good," Pein said as he returned the action. "Get moving then;" He turned to the Iwa missing nin. "Deidara, have you prepared?"

The leader was replied with an excited grin from the bomber. "Of course, leader-sama; everything's ready for the plan."

The one being spoken to did not say anything for a while, and only stared at the blond; it wasn't until after a full minute did the man speak: "You had better, Deidara, lest what happed at Suna repeat itself;" Pein looked to the ceiling before adding: "For, if it _does_, you might find yourself lacking two of your mouths, your arms, by extension."

The leader then cast a passing glance to each of the members.

"You know what to do; go."

The group nodded before their images faded into nothing, leaving Deidara, Sasori, Pein and Konan as the only occupants of the cavern.

"We'll be going then." The hunchback said as he jumped to the floor from his place on the statue's left thumb, Deidara following close behind him when the former began to make his way to the door.

"Also, Sasori," Pein stated, not bothering to look to the person the former was speaking to. "Try _not_ to kill all of them."

This request bothered the puppet master slightly. "What?" he stopped walking, and turned to face his superior. "Are you implying that I leave survivors, leader-sama?"

"_Exactly_," the leader said, still not turning to face the person he was speaking to. "They may still serve our purposes in the future; especially the Uchiha."

This time, it was Deidara who spoke: "Huh? Don't tell me that you're taking an interest in the damnable Sharingan as well, leader-sama."

"It seems that you are misunderstanding me, Deidara." Pein replied, casting his glance to the statue. "I'll admit: the Sharingan _is_ very useful, and, I know, that _many_ people would do much to obtain it, but please understand:" it was then that the Akatsuki leader turned to face the two who were about to leave, his Rinnegan glowing fiercely. "Uchiha Itachi will not be with us for much longer, and we will need to find a replacement soon;

"I think you can figure out the rest, yes?"

~TtT~

"**Doton: Domu no jutsu! **(Earth Style: Earth Spear)" shouted a voice from the sky as a black blur was shot down toward the horned turtle.

Everyone on the small island watched in awe as the giant beast disappeared into the water's depths, creating a large wave that was headed to them in the process.

"Shit," Tendo murmured as he saw the wave; he turned to the group of people that were standing behind him. "Come on," he started to walk toward the other side of the island. "We have to leave." He added, not looking back.

"Wait," Sasuke said. "What about the-."

"He'll be fine, Uchiha-chan." The red fox stated. "My brother can take care of himself." The animal kept on walking.

"He's right, you know." Kakashi told his black-haired student. "We don't have the time to sit around and do nothing." The jounin, then, began to follow the fox's lead, Temari, Chiyo, and Matsuri following behind him.

"What about these guys, sensei." Sakura gestured to the two cloaked shinobi.

"We'll be fine, kid." Toyotomi reassured the medic, waving his hand in dismissal. "Besides, it's our job to make sure that you are able to complete you mission."

"Toyotomi has a point, children." Tokugawa added. "You should go, lest you find that you have failed this A-ranked mission."

The two teens nodded, and followed their sensei; just as the two storm guards turned to face the clouds, they heard Tendo call to them:

"Sui Toyotomi, please provide us with a means to get across the water."

"Of course, sir." He flipped through several seals, saying: "**Suiton: Shinsei Keiro! **(Water Style: The Truest Path.)" a second time in the last few minutes.

The rescue team then witnessed a tunnel, of sorts, appear in front of them.

"You can run through that!" shouted from across the island. "It should take you to the other side; we'll take care of things here for you!"

"Oi!" cried a voice from the clouds. "Do ya' think we'd be happy ta' let ya' get away with what ya' bastards a' doin'?

"'Cause I, sure as Jashin, ain't lettin' ya' ignore us up here, much less get away!" a maniacal cackle was heard as a blood-red scythe was hurled toward the fleeing rescue team, its scarlet steel gleaming in the sunlight.

Kakashi, who had his Sharingan active, managed to predict the trajectory of the red projectile:

_It's heading to us._

"Come, everyone!" Tendo shouted. "Get through the jutsu; we don't have time to deal with these fools;" the red fox ran forward, jumping into the air, and biting down on the handle.

The animal tossed the weapon to the side: "We have a Kazekage to rescue."

All the genin gave a determined nod, and jumped into the portal; they were closely followed by the Suna elder.

"**Kuchiyose: Ekiumihebi!** (Summoning: Giant Sea Serpent)" area on the lake that supported the turtle a few minutes before burst forth as a giant, ocean-green, horned serpent shot out of the lake, and moved toward the clouds.

"What the bloody fuck!?" the word resounded just as the great water beast entered passed a certain cloud.

All the people on the island stared at the pillar of scales as they heard another string of curses.

Luckily, Kakashi managed to come to his senses before anything else happened: "Tendo-sama," he said to the fox. "Shall we go?"

The fox nodded, and they both jumped through the tunnel.

~TtT~

Chikushodo jumped onto the back of a new creature as one of the Akatsuki members landed a punch on his summoned serpent, knocking its head to the ground.

The three stared at each other, the Akatsuki members on their clay bird, and the fox on his summoned bat.

"I knew that I might be fighting the some of the other members of the Akatsuki," Chikushodo laughed. "I never expected to end up having dealing with the _Zombie Brothers_." The pale fox said with a toothy grin.

"So what," one of the shrouded forms said, raising his red scythe as the hat that covered his head tipped forward. "Don't tell me that dumb-ass, Kisame, told you what he called us too, now did he?"

Chikushodo laughed again, this one sounding more humored in the last. "He might have mentioned something of the sort the last time we talked." The fox let out another cackle: "You know, Hidan-tan, don't you think you should be more careful with the way you fight?" the animal gestured to the person who stood next to Hidan, the said person's arms crossed over their owner's chest. "Your partner, Kakuzu-san, wouldn't want to have to pay for the repairs of your weapon should my brother have destroyed it."

This comment caused Hidan to sneer under his hat.

"He's got a point, you know." The man with crossed arms said. "I _would_ have to pay for repairs should that scythe be damaged, it was a gift from leader-sama, after all." He looked to the fox, which was now several feet away since the respective creatures they rode began to fly further from each other. "It's good to see you, _Fox_;" the shrouded shinobi chuckled. "It seems that we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the paycheck this time, eh, _Chikushodo the Beastly_?"

~TtT~

"Things are moving along fine," Konan said from her place on the statue's right middle finger, majority of her image hidden behind the darkness of the cave since the only source of light was the blue glow of chakra that radiated from the nine dragons. "Don't you think so, Pein?"

The image of the leader's head dipped in a small nod. "True, true;" he turned to the form of the unconscious Gaara. "The plan is coming together nicely." Pein's grayish-purple eyes moved from the fallen kage to the stream of chakra that was being flowing into the statue's mouth.

Konan followed the man's gaze, landing her train of sight on Gaara; the last's current state piquing her interest: "How much longer do you think it will take, Pein?" she tore her eyes from the teenager, and looked back to her partner. "With only the two of us here, won't it take longer to complete?"

She was replied with another nod from her companion. "I'd say another quarter hour till we can unsummon the seal; the chakra stream coming from the Kazekage has diminished greatly."

"Do we have the time?"

It was at this time that Pein turned to her, their eyes meeting in a calm stare; the pair remained in this state for nearly a full minute before the Akatsuki leader turned away, and answered her question:

"A quarter hour is not very long, and, with the others carrying out the backup plan, there is a very good chance that we can complete the sealing before the _guests_ arrive at our figurative doorstep." He then looked to the ceiling, contemplating. "But we can only hope that things go well for us still.

"Things _may_ be going smoothly," he added. "But we are only at the first beast;" he turned back to Konan, his gaze now soft. "We still have eight others to deal with;" he moved his gaze to the jinchuuriki. "Eight more chances at failure."

Konan looked to him with sad eyes, letting silence take hold for the next few minutes.

When she was ready to speak, she said: "It may mean eight more chances at failure, Pein," she smiled at him, the facial expression remaining unseen due to the holograms. "But it also means eight more chances at glory." She looked to head of the Gedo Mazo, her gaze being returned by a combination of black, red, and searing, purple eyes.

"You agree with me, right, Lord Maelstrom?"

~TtT~

An Iwa-nin looked through the window of the house his ANBU team was guarding, his gaze turned to the graying sky.

"It's going to rain." he said, turning to his companions.

This statement caused the other shinobi in the room to look to him.

"What of it?" said a male brunette. "What does the weather have to do with anything; this is guard mission, right?" he was answered with knock un his head from a raven-haired woman next to him. "What was that for!?" he shouted.

The woman sighed. "You don't get it, do you?" her tone was solemn; the man's eyebrows scrunched at her comment. "You're the new kid, right?"

He nodded.

"It's not a big surprise that you don't know what it means when it rains…" Said a red-head who was leaning against a doorpost to the room, his deep blue eyes reflecting the bright light coming from the lamp. "Understand that we were hired to protect a crime lord that wanted to lie low after his operations were discovered by the current shogun, Urashima Keitaro. There is only one village's shinobi the shogun hires for dealing with his _personal_ business." He stared at the brunette. "Can you name the said village?"

The newbie's eyes widened when he thought of the answer: "Amegakure." He whispered.

The red-head nodded, and spoke, his tone laced with heavy sarcasm: "Congratulations! We have a winner!" his voice then became serious. "The shogun, for the most part, makes use of the capital's shinobi for his dealings on our side of the economy."

"And, when it rains," the female, this time, spoke. "That usually means that Amegakure is about to move."

The captain, who had been staring out the window at the window, added his two cents: "Kid," he addressed the brunette. "You remember what Tsuchikage-sama told us when we were informed that we may be dealing with Ame-nin on our mission?"

The person being queried scrunched his eyebrows together, sifting through his memories for the information; he gasped sharply when he remembered what the Tsuchikage warned them of when they were briefed.

"Yup," said the shinobi at the door. "On certain occasions, an Ame ninja's arrival is preceded by the rain."

"Wait," said the brunette at the center of it all. "How can you tell the difference between this so-called 'heralding rain' and regular rain?" the teen's eyebrows were knit together in genuine curiosity.

The team captain shook his head as he made his way to the couch opposite the brunette's. "It's really hard to tell, kid; there are too few people that know of it," He gave the rookie a dark look. "… first hand, at least."

"Huh?" sitting on the floor, the brown-haired rookie's face changed from one of curiosity to downright confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Lightning flashed, closely followed by a thunderclap when the captain answered: "No one survives attacks from Ame when it rains beforehand.

"Also," the man at the window added. "The people within the area of the rain's fall say that the rain just '_feels different_.' According to them, once the rain starts to fall, everyone at the past locations claim that they can feel fear like it was _crawling _on their skin."

"Other say that they felt that they were being watched." Added the kunoichi in the group.

As the brunette's gaze moved from his superior to the black-haired woman beside him, the red-head at the door left his place, and walked to another window. "Knowing how rain feels is all well and good," he turned his gaze to the captain, then to the team's newest member. "But shouldn't we worry more worried about _who_ may be after us?"

"Well," the kunoichi said. "It shouldn't be too hard to figure, right?" she turned her gaze from the younger brunette to the older red-head. "After all, didn't Tsuchikage-sama say that there were only three people that could control the rain?"

There was silence in the room as everyone continued to think.

_Alright, as she said,_ the captain thought. _There are only three people in Ame who like to use rain as a psychological attack, and __**none**__ of them are pleasant to deal with:_ he started to go through his first two choices, shooting them down with information he managed to get from his colleagues at ANBU headquarters:

_The first choice would be the Amekage, himself, but I heard he's been busy with some plan of his._

_Next we have the prince. _The captain shuddered involuntarily. _If it __**were**__ him, we wouldn't even have corpses to leave behind; besides, I heard he was in Konoha for a business trip._

_That leaves…_ the captain gasped and stiffened as his eyes widened into saucers of fear and despair.

"Shit." The word was murmured the collective of voices, excluding the red-head who merely watched them in amusement.

"Captain," the kunoichi said as she stood up. "I move we abandon this mission."

The rookie stood as well: "I second what Raven said, sir; there is _no_ way we can stand against the Bloody Claw. We have to-."

"Too late, kid." The red-head cut the previous speaker off with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "This mission of yours is already a failure."

"Vermillion," the captain said, his voice darkening with his, now narrowing, eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"It's simple, really." Vermillion stated happily as he grinned at the people in the room, his eyes narrowing into fox-like slits. "The client that you were paid to protect is dead, along with your five other teammates who were guarding him upstairs."

"You're not Vermillion, are you?" Raven, the kunoichi, asked.

The man who looked like Vermillion shook his head. "No, Codename Vermillion is dead; he's been dead for the past half-hour; I should know; I killed him." He stated nonchalantly before he raised his hands, and gave the other three people in the room a clapping of his hands. "I applaud you, Iwa ANBU, for being able to figure out who would be the one to take your lives."

The captain drew a pair of ninjato as Raven and the rookie drew their kunai.

The captain opened his mouth, but was prevented from saying anything when the red-haired man kept on talking.

"Yes, _captain_," he said tauntingly as another flash of lightning came, shortly followed by a resounding rumble.

The next sight they saw caused another collective gasp:

The visage that the group recognized as codename Vermillion began to turn to ash, revealing another face, and body underneath.

The rain fell harder, again accompanied by another flash of lightning; Fate took this opportunity to play around with the soon-to-be deceased by cutting the power to the house, leaving everyone in complete darkness.

The atmosphere was tense. _The rumors were true,_ the Raven though. _The weather, itself, is a psychological weapon;_ she began to shake with anticipation and fear, knowing, fully well, that the brunette rookie beside her was doing the same.

The Iwa-nin heard a sandal fall, the captain responding with a flying kunai in the direction of the sound, followed by a clang of metal against metal as the weapon was deflected.

There was another flash of lightning, and it revealed to the three the appearance of the infamous _Bloody Claw_:

He gazed right at them, his piercing blue eyes taking in the fear that the Iwa-nin were desperately trying to hide;

His blond hair seemingly glowing in the weak moonlight;

His mischievous smirk barely visible thought the darkness.

There was another flash of lightning, as both males in the room screamed when they felt the pain of their arms being ripped out of their joints.

Blood splashed everywhere.

"I'm called the '_Bloody Claw_'; nice to meet ya'."

Raven fall on her rear as she saw her teammates get ripped apart their assailant's silver-clad fingers, her mind going blank with the shock of the sight, her body beginning to shake as she heard her companions' screams.

It only took the Claw, roughly, forty-five seconds to finish off the two other males in the room, leaving him alone with the unmoving kunoichi who was shaking and slipping on the growing pool of blood.

Claw looked around, grinning happily at the sight of his handiwork: of the two people that he had just killed, there was no means by which they could be recognized on a physical level; shreds of flesh and shards of bone, no larger than a person's fist at most, scattered across the room.

"Now," Raven looked to the speaker, her eyes golden eyes meeting the piercing, royal blue of the Bloody Claw's; she whimpered, and stumbled away, her wrists slipping on the scarlet beauty that adorned the floor; he grinned at her. "What shall I do with you?"

The expression on his face caused hot tears to roll down her cheeks; she was dead, literally.

He neared her, than crouched to her level.

"Do you know why I left you alive?" he asked her, his voice still chipper.

She stared straight at him, her eyes clouding over as she thought of the possible reasons for his mercy.

She whimpered, her face transforming into a despairing mask as her consciousness formed the thought.

Claw's grin grew impossibly wider. "Yup, you got it!" he placed his hand on the crown of her head, and ran his clawed fingers down her waist-length, black hair, causing the woman to shudder at the sensation.

He brought his mouth close to her ear: "It would be a shame to finish you off, so I'm going to spare your life; _no one_ is going to find pieces of your body here." He removed his mouth, and placed his face in front of hers. "A little blood maybe, but that depends on you." He sent her another wide-mouthed, closed-eyed grin.

"I'm goin' to enjoy messin' around with ya'," he then removed the hand that was running down her hair, and placed it on the small of her back, his other hand taking a crimson, Papierkrattler, theatre mask that displayed a face of pure bliss.

"Believe it."

~TtT~

_It seems that the group got past Kisame._ - Thought a certain Uchiha from his perch atop a tree. He looked to the two distant specks in the horizon. _It appears that they got past Hidan-san and Kakuzu-senpai as well._ He jumped down.

_I guess that means that I get to have another 'heart-to-heart' with dear little brother._

He sighed.

Uchiha Itachi began to walk to the edge of the forest that lined one side of the main route to the cavern; he leaned on a tree, the object's trunk facing the approaching rescue party in the distance.

"Hello, Sasuke." He stated when he felt the mass of chakra signatures several meters behind him; the Akatsuki member walked to the middle of the path, stopping when he arrived. "How have you been?"

Uchiha Sasuke, who stood at the center of the group, looked his brother in the eye: "I've been fine."

The Uchiha pair then closed their eyes.

_Now,_ Itachi began to send chakra toward his sight organs as he took a pair of wire-frame glasses from his cloak pocket, placing it on his face just resting at the tip of his nose as to allow his eyes to be seen directly. _Show me little brother..._

They opened their eyes, revealing their respective Mangekyo Sharingan.

"… how much you have grown."

* * *

Note:

**Papierkrattler** – the type mask that _**'V'**_ in _"V for Vendetta"_ wears.

* * *

Questions:

The account for this chapter was stated by a person called the 'mistress of Ame', what role do you suppose she will play in the next parts of the story, be they long, or short, term.

Also, what do you suppose this chapter's account is trying to impart?

What do you think Pein meant when he said that Itachi would not be with thme for much longer?

In the scene of Hidan, Kakuzu, and Chikushodo, what can you conclude form their short interaction? What does this conversation speak about the fox's character?

What about Chikushodo's title? What do you suppose _**that**_ means?

What do you think of the abilities that I gave Chikushodo?

In the scene of Pein and Konan, what can you infer from their state of mind; what do you think of their portrayal in the scene?

Who do you suppose this 'Lord Maelstrom' is?

What role will the aforementioned person play in future events?

What do you think of the scene with the Iwa-nin?

Who do you suppose this 'Bloody Claw' is? What role will the he person play in future events?

Looking at the fighting style, what can you conclude regarding the character of the Claw?

On the same note, by looking at the claw's scene, what can opinion can you form of the shogun Urashima Keitaro?

Why is Itachi wearing glasses?

Lastly, what do you think of the scene of the Uchiha brothers? What will unfold?

And that ends _last_ week's update.


	14. Honor of the Fallen

Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine, Hinata would have died _long_ ago.

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And here I present the fourteenth chapter of the prince of rain.

.

.

.

GO!

sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

Chapter Fourteen:

Honor of the Fallen

"_You called me, Namikaze Minato?_

"_..._

"_I see; so you wish for me to deal with this __**problem**__ you have here?_

"_..._

"_I certainly hope you have taken into account what I have observed, yes?_

"_..._

"_Very well, then, I suggest that you bid your child goodbye now, as you will have to wait a while before you acquire the privilege see him again._

"_Now..._

"_Let us begin."_

-The God of Death to Namikaze Minato.

~TtT~

"What do you think of this?"

"Please explain, Toyotomi, you were being vague again." requested Tokugawa as they looked at the battle that was unfolding before their eyes.

The moment the rescue team got away, Chikushodo immediately engaged in combat with the two Akatsuki members that attempted to remove the said team from the mission.

From the distance, the two storm guards saw the fox jump to the side as Hidan threw his triple-blade-scythe at the animal while Kakuzu started to flash through several seals; all three combatants were now on the ground, their flying companions removed quite early on in the fight.

Shortly after dodging the religious's attack, Chikushodo dashed onward to rip Hidan's throat out while the latter was trying to pull his weapon back to his body.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! **(Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)" the two Ame shinobi could hear the distinct voice of the senior between the two missing nin cry out.

"I mean this." Toyotomi gestured to the area around them as light from the large fireball radiated through their surroundings. "This whole situation we're in." they continued to talk casually as they both heard a resounding explosion coming from the venue of the battle, ignoring the smoke that blasted past them.

"As in this specific battle, or the mission as a whole?" the earth-user of the two storm guards asked.

Back at the battle, the smoke from the explosion cleared to reveal the fox standing behind a large, stone, demon's hand that was ten to fifteen times his size; it was obvious to everyone present that it was that hand that blocked the fire jutsu.

All the participants moved, and the fighting started once again.

"I'd say both, senpai." Toyotomi stated. "Both this battle, and this mission is not something that we usually are exposed to."

His companion nodded. "True," Tokugawa looked on as Kakuzu sent another one of his extending fists at the fox; the latter dodging the attack, and jumping over Hidan's scythe as the weapon's owner attempted to decapitate the animal. "But it's not always that we are sent on missions that require us to take a hand in the rescue of a kage from band of mercenary missing-nin; am I correct?"

"Yes," they heard a voice say from behind them before the other shinobi could give his senior a response. "This type of mission is quite unique from what you usually take as shinobi of Ame."

The pair turned around to find Chikushodo sitting under a tree behind them.

"Kage Bunshin?" rhetorically asked the water style master among the three, his tone amused.

The fox clone merely nodded, not a word coming from between its teeth.

"What is it, sir?" Tokugawa took the initiative when he noticed his superior's regalia.

The fox remained silent for a while, closing its eyes as the battle between the two Akatsuki and the real fox continued. "I came here to inform you that I have managed to gain..." the beast paused, allowing the two listeners' imaginations to attempt to complete the statement that he was about to make: "... Clearance from the prince;" Chikushodo opened his eyes, the said organ's now a cold, piercing purple.

"I am certain you _both_ know what that means, yes?"

The eyes of both shinobi widened at the implications of the statement.

It was the younger of the two that spoke first: "Sir, what are we to do now, then?"

"It's simple really." the senior answered for the clone; he looked to the fox. "I presume, then that we are to pursue the rescue team, and assist them in the completion of their own orders?"

The fox nodded. "That is what we were sent here for." it looked to the ongoing battle once again: the real Chikushodo had just jumped off a summoned bat, and called forth a large quantity of iron spikes that rained on his opponents from the air.

The clone turned back to the two people it was giving orders to: "Move quickly, it shouldn't take more than another ten minutes before Chikushodo uses _that_;"

The fox clone looked both subordinates in the eye, and, using all the authority it could make present in is voice, said:

"_Go_."

~TtT~

_This person…_ Sakura thought with widened eyes. _This is Uchiha Itachi._

"Uchiha Itachi?" Chiyo commented, appraising the Uchiha prodigy. "So _this_ is the boy that murdered his entire family."

The comment itself caused the pink-haired girl to stiffen. _So it was Itachi who executed the massacre. _She turned her glance to the Uchiha of the group. _Is this the person that Sasuke said he wanted to kill all those years ago?_

The aforementioned Uchiha, meanwhile, just continued to look at his brother, the former's Mangekyo spinning silently.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Itachi asked, activating his Mangekyo, and sweeping his glance over the group: all of them entered their respective defensive stances, preparing their weapons in the process. "How have you been, Sasuke?" he turned to the younger of the two Uchiha. "It seems that you've activated your second stage; I presume that you've done what I advised you to do then, perhaps?"

Sasuke frowned at the statement while Kakashi's eyes widened. He turned to the former: "So, he told you about the Sharingan, then?" the silver-haired man asked.

Sasuke nodded. "It was during the massacre." He kept his gaze on his older brother, taking note of, even the slightest, movement. "He used it on me after I found him with our parents." Sasuke directed his next statement to the Akatsuki member. "Isn't that right, onii-sama?"

The wordplay that Sasuke made use of caused Itachi's guard to drop, his eyes to widen, and his Mangekyo to revert to its natural state.

"Sasuke," Itachi whispered, "I didn't expect you to-."

He was interrupted when he heard the sound of a thousand flapping wings, and felt an arm punch through his chest.

"**Chidori! **(One Thousand Birds)" Itachi's wide eyes looked to his punctured chest, taking in the sight of lighting; he turned his shocked expression to the Sasuke that was standing behind him:

Itachi gasped as the Sasuke that used the Habataku Chidori wrenched the latter's arm free of the former's spine. "H-h-how-?"

And much to the older brother's surprise, Sasuke's answer was _totally_ unexpected:

"Tsukuyomi is really a great move, isn't it, onii-sama?" Sasuke said with an arrogant grin.

Everything within sight of the older brother shattered as the genjutsu was broken; it revealed to the world the sight of Uchiha Itachi, panting.

"It seems…" the aforementioned man gasped. "… that you've gotten a good grip of your abilities, Sasuke." He stared at Sasuke, noticing the fact that his younger brother was sweating profusely. _It appears that even __**you**__ are not exempted from the exhausting effects of the Tsukuyomi, little brother. _He had already caught his breath, and returned to his previous stance.

"When did you activate it, Sasuke?"

The said teenager raised one of his hands, and pointed his index finger at the object on Itachi's nose. "When you put your glasses." He went into his combat stance.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, brother." Itachi stated in a blank tone, his expression reflecting his voice. "But, why didn't you kill me?"

Sasuke's profile remained unchanged: "I have my reasons, _onii-sama_." At the last word, the younger Uchiha's expression took on a mischievous smirk.

Itachi, however, as opposed to his initial blunder, lowered the intensity of his reaction to narrowing his eyes. "May I ask as to what those _reasons_ mat be?"

Sasuke's smirk disappeared upon hearing his brother's reply. "Nothing much, really…" He drew two kunai from his holster, and held them back-handed, his thumbs sent through the hole located at the back of the hilt. "I just have a few questions."

Itachi tilted his head, ever so slightly, to the side. "And those questions may be?" _I wonder…_

Sasuke shook his head: "What I have to ask you, brother, is not important right now." He stole a glance at his teammates:

Sakura already had her gloves on, and she was clenching and unclenching her fists.

Kakashi was already had his left hand ready, placed over the lowered part of his forehead protector, and his right hand inside his weapon pouch.

The sand shinobi were also ready, and antsy, for the upcoming fight as well:

Temari held, in each hand, a small battle fan, abandoning her larger one due to their close proximity to their opponent.

Chiyo entered the same taijutsu stance she made use of during her brief skirmish with Sasuke.

Matsuri, meanwhile, already had a kunai hanging, by a wire, from each of her fingers; the said weapons had explosive tags wrapped around the blades.

All of the shinobi held the same expression, their countenances betraying no thought or emotion to the single shinobi that they collectively faced.

Sasuke looked back to his older brother: "After all, we have a mission to complete." He then began to flash through several seals as marks of black flame began to across his skin, the tattoos originating from the left joint between his neck and shoulder. "And I'd be damned if I let _you_ get in _my_ way."

Itachi stared at the spreading marks of the cursed seal of heaven. "What are you doing with that, Sasuke?" He gestured to the seal as his younger brother stopped his current movements. "That power is from Orochimaru, I presume?" his gaze turned to a disapproving glare. "That power is not yours, but his.

"I wanted to see how much power you have gained, _brother_ _dearest_, but it seems that you are only using things that do not belong to you."

The sibling snorted at his counterpart's statement. "I've met many shinobi, and each of them has told me of where they got their power." He completed the set of seals he was forming from moments ago. "Some said from hate." Sasuke sent a sharp glare at Itachi, making the latter take a step back unconsciously.

The image of Naruto entered the younger Uchiha's mind: "Another said from protecting one's loved ones." The cursed seal started to spread again, now moving to cover the right side of his face, and the upper part of Sasuke's right arm.

"But which of these are true?" he formed his left hand into a claw as his other hand wrapped around the other's wrist.

"It doesn't really matter." Sasuke's skin was black now, the whites of his eyes a shade of stark grey; his Sharingan deactivated to reveal shining golden irises before flashing into the familiar six-point star of his Mangekyo.

"Power is power, where one gets it is not important." Sasuke looked to Sakura, their eyes meeting; they stared deeply at each other before the pink-haired female sent her teammate a nod.

The sound of flapping birds began to fill the air.

Lightning erupted from the claw that was Sasuke's left hand.

"And it is _that_ that will never change."

The Chidori became black.

"Do you hear that sound, onii-sama?" Sasuke asked his older brother. "…The sound of flapping wings? ..."

Sakura looked to Kakashi, who, in turn, nodded to her.

"But before I go there," the male holding the collection of black lightning stated. "I might as well tell you what this move is about:"

Kakashi sent another look to Chiyo; the old woman nodded.

"The Chidori, the move I used earlier, was a move originally made to protect one's friends."

The elder woman placed her hands on each of the Suna kunoichi's shoulders, squeezing slightly; they nodded as well.

"This move is different from that.

"Do you remember what you said about the clan?"

Itachi opened his mouth to give his brother a reply when-

"Shut up and listen." Sasuke growled. "I never told you to answer.

"You said the clan thought itself above others, all because of the Sharingan," he looked to Itachi, grinning wildly. "Your right, onii-sama; we were arrogant.

"We were using the Sharingan for selfish reasons, only advancing ourselves.

"Now, let's look back to what I told you earlier: the sound of flapping birds.

"The sound is the flapping of the birds is the sound of our respects flying to the sky; we remember all of those that we have lost."

As the older brother listened to his relative, he couldn't help but react. _Sasuke, you actually thought of that?_ Itachi couldn't help but smile slightly when he realized that his brother, although not growing in the way he had planned, grew into something more, something more beautiful. _You are something, little brother._

"Very well, let's see if your memories can match against my power." the older Uchiha stated as he began to flash several seals of his own. "**Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu! **(Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)"

And the fireball flew.

Sakura punched the earth as the rest of their group jumped up to avoid the force of her impact with the ground below them, resulting in Itachi's loss of balance.

Sakura then jumped and rolled to the side to avoid the body of concentrated heat that was fireball.

Kakashi, who landed on Sakura's right-hand side dashed around the projectile's trajectory to arrive at Itachi's left; he flashed through several seals. "**Doton: Doryuuheki! **(Earth Style: Earth Style Wall)"

Behind the Akatsuki member, a stone wall, decorated with four dog heads, rose from the ground.

Temari, meanwhile, jumped directly above the fireball, accompanied by the Kazekage's student; she opened the object as large as it could go, with Matsuri positioned behind it.

She then swung: "**Kamaitachi no Jutsu!**(Wind Scythe Jutsu)"

The result?

The fireball that, was then, positioned right below them expanded beyond reason when the technique hit it; turning the are that the rescue team had occupied earlier into a place of blazing plains, consuming everything above the area process.

_They killed themselves?_ Itachi wondered, but was unable to give himself an answer when he remembered that Kakashi was still next to him. _Shit-!_

The Uchiha was greeted with the sight of Sakura spinning in the air while being pulled in by Chiyo who was making use of ninja wire.

The next thin Itachi knew, there was a large fissure separating himself from Kakashi.

It was then that realization struck the elder Uchiha;

He looked to his front: _Blocked by fire..._

He looked to his right: _Stone wall..._

He looked to his left: _Fissure..._

_They're boxing me in..._

_That leaves..._ Itachi gasped when he looked back.

There, in front of him, was his younger brother: skin as black as night, shouting, fanged jaws, daggers for claws, and Mangekyo blazing.

_Sasuke..._

"Here are my respects for you, brother!" Sasuke declared as he drew his arm back a little more, keeping his ground low, with his movements minimal.

"With this, I honor you, Naruto, and us all!

"_**Habataku Chidori!**_ (A Thousand Flapping Birds)"

_I once said that it doesn't matter where one got power._

_I still stand true to that; it doesn't really matter._

_It's how you use what you have that counts the most._

~TtT~

"Yo, kid," it was Mitarashi Anko. "Ready to go?"

At the center of Konoha's gates, stood the Prince of Rain; he looked over his shoulder to look at the companion that the Hokage gave him for this mission.

Anko was dressed in her regular attire: her tan trench-coat, mesh shirt, and skirt.

The prince's outfit, meanwhile was less generic, or redundant, than that:

He was dressed in a black buttoned-down shirt that had a high collar, over which, he had something that resembled a chunin vest, albeit with am ankle-length train and three slits: two at the sides and one at the back; his leggings were made up of a pair of cream-colored pants.

Over it all, he wore his Storm Guard Coat, hat and all.

The blond royal smirked. "That depends, Mitarashi-chan, are you?"

The said woman frowned at the speaker's words: "Don't be smug with me, you little pervert."

"Oh." The prince feign hurt at her words. "First it was insanity; now you plead perversion?" he smirked again. "Make up your mind, will you, Anko."

She huffed at his words. "I'll make up my mind once _you_ make up your mind with what to call me; you keep changing your references; what are you gonna' do if someone starts questioning my relationship to you, _your majesty_?"

The reply she received?

"No, never mind." he laughed heartily. "It's _far_ too enjoyable to give up." his face then turned serious: "Yes, Anko, I'm ready."

Anko had to blink several times when she noticed his attitude change. _Whoa, talk about a mood swing. _"Alright then, brat, Hokage-sama told us that we're heading to assist the rescue team." she walked on, leaving the prince at he gate; upon walking several meters ahead of him, she stopped, and turned to face him:

"Let's go."

* * *

So?

What do you think?

How was the description during conversions and combat? (overall)

also:

What changes can you point out from Sasuke and Itachi?

* * *

**P.S.:**

On a personal level, I _really_ hate Sasuke, but that isn't shown here.

(that is, if you noticed)


	15. That Which We Don't Know

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the kyuubi would be a hot girl, and Naruto would be a pimp... ROTFLOL... hehe. (I'm joking, of course)

* * *

Hi guys, sorry I missed last weeks update. I had my finals.

I hope the length for this week makes up for it.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

Chapter Fifteen:

That Which We Don't Know

"_Minato, do you think we can achieve this dream before we die?"_

_-Nagato_

~TtT~

"Oi," called an Inuzuka to his Aburame teammate. "You notice anything off, Shino?"

The Aburame shook his head as they continued to run across the field under the noonday sun. "My insects haven't sensed anything different in the last quarter hour." Shino turned to a female Hyuuga: "Hinata-san, can your Byakugan see anything?"

The genin shook her head. "Negative," she turned to the lone jounin that accompanied them: "Kurenai-sensei, why were we sent here in the first place?" she continued as the group made a sharp, left turn upon reaching the face of a cliff. "We've been patrolling the fire-river border for the past two days, and there hasn't been anything new."

Kurenai sent her only female student an understanding gaze. "Orders from the Hokage." she stated. "I'm not sure if you know, but team seven was sent on a rescue mission that was labeled as A-class. We are to-."

This piece of information caused the three genin to react, be the said reaction seen or not.

"A-A-A-class!?" Kiba stuttered, his voice clearly showing disbelief. "Since when do _genin_ get A-ranked missions!?" his fangs were bared as he roared his words at his sensei. "What is Hokage-sama thinking, ordering a team of genin to do something like that!? Hell, they aren't even a full team!"

At Kiba's last words, Hinata visibly stiffened, casting lowering her gaze to the ground as they made another turn so as not to fall down the cliff's sheer drop. She was starting to clench her fists when the Aburame, who had placed a hand on her left shoulder, intervened:

"Calm down, Kiba." he said in his usual calm. "It will do you, or us, _no_ good if you continue to let yourself be carried away by your emotions." he sent a worried, albeit unseen, glance to his female teammate: "Hinata," he stated, his voice not as blank as it was moments ago. "Get a hold of yourself, the Hyuuga heir should stand firm, correct?"

Hinata relaxed at Shino's words, the action quite obvious to everyone present; she turned to the insect-specialist and sent him a thankful nod, her gaze as strong and unwavering as the stone of Konoha's Hokage monument.

Shino returned the action then looked to the team's superior officer: "Forgive us for the inconvenience, sensei, but you were saying something before the interruption?"

Kurenai nodded thankfully, mouthing the words: '_Thank You_' before addressing the group: "As I was saying:" she sent looked at Kiba with a half-hearted glare. "Team seven was sent to assist in the rescue of the fifth Kazekage, and, much to the chagrin of the Land of Fire, Akatsuki, the group responsible, took the village leader to a hideout they had located in River country." She looked at the widening eyes of her genin team, Shino's eyes, of course, remained unseen behind his round-lens sunglasses.

"We were sent to monitor activity at the national border, just in case Akatsuki tries to flee into the Land of Fire."

"But, sensei," it was Hinata. "Why did they send a genin team to do border guard detail?" she asked a second question as they ran up one of the many cliffs located in the immediate area of the border. "Wouldn't it have been better to have several jounin or an ANBU sub-team to take care of it."

Kiba agreed with her: "Yeah!" he continued as when they arrived at the top of the landmass they had been climbing moments ago: "I heard about that Akatsuki group; they're the S-class missing-nin, right? Why are they having _genin_ take care of such a dangerous mission?"

"That may not _necessarily_ be the case, Kiba-san." Shino shook his head at his Inuzuka teammate. "Please understand that our orders are to _observe_ the area near the border." He stole a glance at Hinata, the latter of which, who was listening intently at his words. _She's changed so much since Naruto's disappearance. She doesn't even stutter anymore._ "Kurenai-sensei _never_ mentioned the word '_Engage_' the targets should we spot them.

"We are to wait and watch, perhaps report, should they appear, but nothing more."

"Heh," Kiba scoffed humorously at his friend's insight on the mission specifics. "Just like good ol' Shino. You know," he added: "I always wondered why you haven't -."

Hinata's gasp caused the speaking Inuzuka to halt: "Someone's coming!"

The words, alone, were enough to cause a panic: "What!?" it was Kiba, of course, who spoke first: "Where?"

It was Shino that gave the questionnaire the latter's reply: "North-east;" he decided to answer Kiba's impending question as well: "I scattered my insects the moment we arrived; they may not have as large a range as Hinata's Byakugan, which would be ten kilometers, my range is still relatively far."

Kiba nodded, not bothering to answer; the three genin turned to their sensei.

"We'll hide first;" she told them. "We need to confirm whe-."

Hinata drew another gasp: "He suddenly sped up!" the group barely had the time to tense as Hinata added: "At the rate he's going, he should be here in-!"

"Konohagakure?" the voice was full, free, and unguarded, telling the Konoha team that the person behind them was open with his, or her, emotions.

Aburame Shino was the first of the group to turn to the new arrival; he stole a glance at his sensei who was making hand signals to the other two. _Looks like I'll be the distraction for the meantime._ He mentally sighed. _Very well; each insect within the hive has its role; I shall merely treat this as mine, for now._

_Although, _he couldn't help but wonder. _This one is quite fast; almost __**too**__ fast, in fact. _He swept his glance over his team, his gaze resting on the Hyuuga heir. _Hinata's maximum range is ten kilometers, and to think…_ he looked to the stranger again: _-… this man managed to travel ten kilometers in the span of several seconds._

_I wonder…_

He gave the new arrival a look-over: he wore a cloak, quite similar to those of the Akatsuki members they had been told to watch out for, except for several differences: the said article of clothing was blood red, and wrapped tight around the chest; the hem went further than that of the missing-nin organization; where it ended at mid-shin, the newcomer's extended until several inches past ankle-length, the fabric brushing against the ground. His head was covered by a wide-brimmed, flat-topped hat that ended an inch before a closed, high collar began, effectively stopping the revelation of any facial features.

The two looked at each other for a short while, neither saying a word as the remainder of team eight tried to think of a plan.

Shino spoke first: "Forgive me for my rudeness, but why are you here?"

What reply did the Aburame receive?

The stranger scoffed, causing Shino to raise an eyebrow at the unexpected answer.

"Yo' askin' me politely '_why I'm here?_'" the newcomer crossed his arms. "I half expected yo' nin' to jump me', judgin' from how heavy the atmosphere is right now." He chuckled. "Fine," he sighed. "I'm just passin' by, boss sent me on a mission to the Land of Demons, was on my way back when '_King_' asked me to help a team o' yours on the other side of tha' border behind ya'."

"Oh?" Kurenai interjected before the stranger could add anything else. "And what would you do if we told you that we don't believe you?"

"Oh?" the man in red mimicked, tilting his head to the left and slightly to the back, showing the Konoha genin team part his scarlet, Papierkrattler mask; Hinata and Kiba took an involuntary step backward at the disturbing sight of a smiling human face staring back at them. "I'm sorry, kunoichi-chan, but the boss gave me orders, and he don' like it when someone fails. So it would do ya' good if ya' got out of ma' way."

It was Kiba, next, who spoke: "and what would ya' do if we told ya' that ya' couldn't pass us?"

The stranger returned to his previous posture, standing straight and stiff. "Well, Inuzuka-chan," he began to raise his arm, and placed the appendage on the top of his hat; team eight, Shino not included, all entered fighting stances. "I'll just have ta' get past ya', now won' I?"

"You're going to take us out," Hinata asked, now in her gentle fist stance. "… -all four of us?"

The stranger chuckled: "Believe it."

It was at the man's last word did Aburame Shino enter any semblance of a fighting stance: he spread his legs then shifted his entire right side forward by half a foot.

"**Shinkuton: Puchi Ame no Tetsu…** (Scarlet Style: Mini-Iron Rain)" The Jutsu was said by an unseen person behind the stranger.

_He has allies?_ The thought caused Shino to steal another glance at Hinata as he felt the world around him come to a grinding halt. _She's loosing focus again,_ he looked back to the man before them. _Then again, my swarm don't seem to register him as a new presence, could it be that I've met him once before?_ He looked to the Hyuuga again: _I sense that she thinks the same thoughts as well._

The stranger, who's mind did _not_ slow down the surroundings to allow him a moment with his thoughts, jumped to the side, barely dodging a small rain of black, iron poles, each about a foot in length and an inch in thickness, that fell on the area he was standing on.

Team eight followed the sight of another arrival landing on one of the said objects, consequently, driving it into the ground.

The newcomer's outfit was, more or less, the same with that of the man in red, albeit closer to that of the Akatsuki's as the coat ended at the knees, and was colored grey; it lacked the cloud prints, however. Shino had also been unable to see what was underneath, except for a train of black cloth that extended past the larger cloak.

"I request that all you…" he sent an authoritative glance to each of the members of team eight, then to the man in red "… -please behave yourselves." He looked to team eight once more. "Good afternoon, team Kurenai," he nodded to the jounin. "My partner and I just wish to pass the border under orders from the Sandaime Hokage."

"Wait, wait." Kiba said as he waved his hand; he pointed to the man in red: "You _attacked_ your partner?"

The man in grey shook his head. "This man is _not _may partner."

"Then who is?" the Inuzuka queried.

Team eight then heard a rustle of leaves coming from some distance away, followed by the call: "Nai-chan!" the called person, Yuhi Kurenai, immediately recognized the voice; she turned to find Mitarashi Anko running towards them.

"Anko?" Kurenai queried when the purple-haired woman reached the large group. "What are you doing here?"

The purple-haired woman flashed a grin to her long-time friend, saying: "Hokage's orders," she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "…-Sent me to _assist_ the ambassador from Ame on this little field trip of his."

"Field trip?" Hinata queried. "Forgive me for asking," she told the Konoha special jounin. "But what do you mean by '_field trip_'?"

Anko first looked to the Hyuuga genin with a raised eyebrow before smirking. "Well," she crossed her arms under her chest, perking her breasts upward, consequently catching the attention of the Inuzuka in the group. "The Prince here was the guy that sent team seven on the rescue mission, along with two back-up shinobi from his own country." she sent the royal a look. "Apparently, the kid wanted to go on the mission as well." She then shrugged. "It's beyond me as to why the Amekage would send his own son on an S-ranked mission."

Anko's final statement caused Kurenai to look to the former with a raised eyebrow and a question: "S-rank?" the red-eyed woman looked to the man in grey. "I though it was an A-tanked retrieval mission?"

"For team seven, it was." It had been the prince, himself, that answered her question. "Unlike the genin, however, I had been sent on guard detail to the Kazekage, should he be retrieved, and I am to eliminate any of the perpetrators of the crime should I get the opportunity to do so; that is why _my_ mission was considered S-ranked." he then turned to the woman in the tan coat: "Also, Anko-chan, I am, also, severely disappointed in the fact that you think that my father's trust is _so_ misplaced that he would make the bad judgment of sending _me_ on a, highly important, mission if my chances of success were low." the person under the grey cost and the rattan hat mocked hurt as he finished speaking.

The Konoha special jounin huffed and scoffed, looking at the prince over her shoulder. "Whatever you say, brat." she then turned to her long-time friend.: "So there, Nai-chan." the purple-haired kunoichi continued: "...-mind if we pass now?"

Kurenai was about to nod when she was cut-off by her student, Kiba: "Wait, so if you're here on a mission," he pointed an accusing finger to the person in the red coat; the Inuzuka then asked the prince: "Mind tellin' us _why_ you, out of the blue, attacked him!?"

The prince looked at Kiba for several seconds, the former doing nothing but blink several times before giving the Inuzuka a reply: "I _honestly_ don't see anything wrong with what I did." The prince then raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He added. "Do _you_ find anything wrong with what I did?"

"The Prince has got a point there." Stated 'claw. "Besides, It's not that it's the first time that the boss 'as don' anything o' that sort."

"Are you saying that he _attacks_ his subordinates on a regular basis?" it was Kurenai, this time, that voiced a question.

'claw shook his head. "Not really, he only normally does it with people he's already familiar with."

"Not just that." Added the man in question. "But why would I want to kill the claw in the first place?" The prince shrugged as he added: "He's my personal bodyguard; I have no reason to bring about his expiration, now do I?"

The man in grey then turned his gaze to his subordinate: "On the subject of uncalled for actions, would you mind explaining why you are here, Bloody Claw? For, if I so recall, I did _not_ leave you with any instructions to proceed to River country once your mission in Demon was finished."

"Nope, You didn't!" 'claw exclaimed, grinning underneath the scarlet mask. "'Twas Amekage-sama that sent me to River when I finished killing off the targets." he reached into the sleeves of his coat, and fished out a scroll, one that was sealed with the Ame wax seal. "King told me to head over to River in case there are more Akatsuki members than anticipated;" 'claw stretched his arms, and let out a tired yawn before speaking again: "Said somethin' 'bout makin' sure that some team from Konoha made it back from the mission alive, I think" at the sentence's last segment, 'claw had crossed his arms, and placed a finger against his mask's cheek in a mockery of thoughtfulness.

Anko had taken the scroll from the Ame shinobi, and was about to open it when she felt a gloved hand land on top of hers; she gazed at the Ame royal with a raised eyebrow when he spoke: "There shall be no need to review the contents of the scroll, Mitarashi-chan." he took the scroll from her grasp, making sure to do so gently.

It was after he had tossed the roll of paper to the person in blood-red did the prince speak again: "There is no need for verification because the Bloody Claw is not going to be with us for much longer."

This last comment was enough to gain the attention, and slightly troubled glances, of the people around them.

"W-w-what do you mean by that?" asked the Hyuuga, her old stutter only present at the beginning of her sentence.

Aburame Shino sent another sidelong glance at the female clan heir: _She stuttered._ He thought. _She hasn't stuttered in a __**long **__while, now. _He looked back to the two Ame shinobi. _I wonder..._

"It's simple, really." said the prince, who then directed his next statement to the 'claw: "I am revoking this mission order; you are to return to Ame, and await further orders from _me_." the prince raised his chin, doing so only ever so slightly to ensure the continued enshrouding of his facial features under the darkness under his hat. "You are to take orders form _no one_ else, am I understood?"

"Hey!" the subordinate retorted. "I want to go on this mission too!" 'claw was about to add to his existing argument when he felt the glare of the prince settled on him.

"Just so you know, 'claw, I haven't seen _any_ action in the last three months, and I am, currently, very _testy_." he raised his right hand to chest level, and begun to wring the said appendage, making the people around the pair hear the sound of cracking joints within the fingers. "I'm sure you know what happens when I get _overly _deprived now, yes?"

The Bloody Claw nodded.

"Good," the royal nodded. "I have already given you your main orders; in case the Amekage asks, just tell father that I sent you home. Also," he added. "Please don't forget that you still have a checkup with me when I get back, alright?" he prince's voice and posture suddenly became stiff at that point: "You have heard your orders,

"Now, Go."

The 'claw stood at attention sating: "Yes, your majesty!"

And so the latter left, traveling north in the direction of the Land of Rain.

What went unnoticed by everyone, although, was the small nod that was exchanged between the Prince of Rain and a certain Aburame Shino.

~TtT~

_Silence..._

_Yes, I think that __**that**__ would be the best way to describe it._

_What it is that seems to dominate this world, that is._

_Yes, that is my observation: this world is always silent, even when I can hear endless screaming of the victims of this world; it remains forever silent to me._

_Sasuke has gone quite far in the last three years, it seams._

_As he has just proven himself to be able to use Tsukuyomi instantaneously._

_I look around my colorless surroundings, trying to figure out what place on the continent my younger brother has decided to place me in for the duration of this jutus._

_Ah... an excellent choice, little brother. Such impeccable taste._

_I am not being sarcastic now, I am, actually, being very honest._

_Perhaps I have left you wondering __**where**__ it is that my brother has decided to speak to me?_

_I, simply, can't help but chuckle at the irony that little Sasuke has made use of:_

_I currently find myself staring at the sight of my parents, both mutilated beyond recognition; it appears that Sasuke has decided to show me his memory of the Uchiha massacre._

"Alright, Sasuke," _I call out to him. _"What is it that you want from me?" _The question felt more like a statement than a query; perhaps I'm not really that interested in what he has to say?_

"Nothing much, Onii-sama." _'Onii-sama'... that is certainly a title that I find hard to accustom myself to. _"Just wanted to talk, that's all." _his expression remained blank._

_I decided, then, to give the boy an answer: _"What is it, then, that you wish to talk about, _brother_?" _I said in slight mockery, my voice, and countenance, as blank as his._

_Knowing Sasuke, though,i think that I won't have to worry too much about wasting time._

"Feel like telling me what it is that you plan to do with the Shukaku, onii-sama?" _See? Straight to the point. I think I'm still having trouble whether or not that part of Sasuke's character is good or bad._

"What makes you think that our group is after that, whatever that thing you're talking about is?" _I'm not entirely sure the dumb act will work on him though; not that he would have expected me to __**ever**__ fall under the 'dumb' category anyway._

"I'm not as naive as I was when I was younger, _older brother._" _I sense a little frustration in that voice. Heh, looks like I insulted him with what I did. _"I fought the Kazekage three years ago. I've done my homework, and I know what is inside of him; please don't insult my intelligence by feigning stupidity."

_I couldn't help but smirk slightly at hearing him talk to me that way. He's become more civil, apparently. _"Very well," _I tell him. _"Yes, our group is after the Shukaku, but there is still more to it than just that."

_Knowing him, he's going to ask me for more: _"You didn't answer my question, onii-sama."

_Ah, that was unexpected. _"We are after the nin bijuu; what we intend to do once we have all of them, I shall not say." _I think I'll give him a little information treat. _"But know this, one of our targets is the Nine-tailed Demon Fox."

"The same one that attacked Konoha fifteen years ago?"_ So he __**does**__ know some little things by looking through the clan archives._

"There is no other Kyuubi, now, is there?"

_He shook his head. _"No, there isn't." _He then stared at me in the eye. _"Although,"_ He smirked. Now, I wonder, Why would he smirk?_ "Isn't Naruto dead?"

_What? The jinchuuriki is dead? _"What?" _Why did I repeat that?_

_I smirk. _"You make a _very_ good point there, little brother." _Good, I recovered before he noticed the fact that I slipped. _"But I am sure you know that there is still more to everything than what meets the eye.

"I have so many things I want to tell you right now, but those things will have to wait.

"There are still other things that are more important."

_He raises an eyebrow at me. _"Such as...?"

"Everything." _I reply concisely. _"There is something that I have found, something that will shake the very foundations of our history as we know it.

"Something so large that my killing off our clan is nothing but an insignificant speck compared to it."

_Sasuke looked at me with confusion, not that I blame him, though._

"What are you talking about?" _He's genuinely curious! That's good!_

"I already told you." _I answer him. _"Everything.

"There is more than what we learned in history, brother, there is more to our land than the five great shinobi nations.

"Someone is controlling everything,

"...-beyond Konoha,

"...-beyond the Land of Fire,

"...-beyond the power of the kages and the clans...

"...-something has been controlling everything since before the kages took center stage."

_He looked at me with scrunched eyebrows, and curious eyes. _"What the _hell_ do you mean by that!?" _He exclaimed; he was __**indeed**__ frustrated now. _"What could be so _beyond_ everything that it could control the flow of history?"

_I shook my head. _"I don't know, brother, but..."_ I looked Uchiha Sasuke in the eyes, our Mangekyo Sharingan meeting each other. _"But I hope that you will be able to figure things out."

~TtT~

Uchiha Sasuke could feel the himself being pulled away from his brother as the genjutsu was broken.

He looked to his elder's visage to see the smallest semblance of a smile cross the man's lips, and, with the use of the Sharingan, Sasuke was able to read what his brother mouthed to him:

~_"Good luck, little brother"_~

It was followed by a verbal whisper: "_**Bunshin Daibakuha.**_(Great Clone Explosion)"

Sasuke could feel himself cringe in preparation for the impact of a point-blank explosion.

Oddly for him, all he heard were the words: "_**Shinra Tensei.**_"

* * *

**QUESTIONS:**

In the opening account, we find Nagato speaking with the fourth Hokage, what do you suppose this suggests?

so... the infamous Hyuuga Hinata has made her appearance, do you think that she changed (in character) in the past three years? If so, what do you think of her change in character?

What about the 'claw; what is your opinion on the interaction between the Bloody Claw and the Prince of Rain?

Also, what do you suppose the nod between the prince and Shino was about?

The second scene was mainly told from Itachi's point of view. I had observed that many people seem to portray the elder Uchiha as irreproachable and inhuman. One of my targets while telling that part of the story was making Itachi as human as possible while still maintaining character. How do you suppose I did in that regard?

What is your opinion with regard to the interaction of Sasuke and Itachi in the second scene?

Also, what do you think Itachi was talking about?

In the third, and last, scene, what do you think happened, exactly?


	16. Odd Interruptions

Disclaimer: if I owned Naruto… insert idea here

* * *

It's good to see you all, and I feel good to be able to post this update on time.

Anyway, I noticed not too many people posted reviews last chapter, and I wanted to know if any of you think that my writing is deteriorating. All things considered, I've been getting that feeling for the past few chapters.

So, if any of you feel that I _am _deteriorating, please feel free to tell me. The telling may be thought one of your reviews or as a private message. At least that way, I can find ways to improve.

Also, I have bee reading several "Strong Naruto" fics, and I started to wonder, "What is Naruto's _real _profession?"

You see, majority of the time, people seem to have Naruto use swords.

Now, swords aren't all that bad, but, really, ninja using katana? Zanbato?

Really, is Naruto a shinobi or a samurai?

I'd like to apologize if I had offended anyone with my words, but I just feel that the use of such big swords is impractical for the line of work that the shinobi use.

Naruto is a shinobi, and, for this fic, he will fight as such, in weapons as well.

I will still be using swords, but they will be, either, for the samurai (who will be taking a key role), or will be of the small type if they will be used by ninja.

Sasuke, although, will still have his sword in canon. (Considering he seems to fight others head on more than anything)

* * *

Alright, now that that's off my chest, let's move to the review responses:

darwinsito: well now, interesting thought… would you be willing to tell me who you think it is? (through a private message, of course)

Crypton89: I have actually taken that idea into account, there is alittle treat for you in this chapter (at least, I hope it is)

JNottle excellent observation! I made it a point to keep the important details isolated until they would be needed, but you kept them in mind. Perhaps you can figure some of them out. Maybe you can tell me what you think then?

Cenright, JNottle: interesting thoughts, and I'm glad that you are thinking a lot while trying to figure out the answers.

Lastly, before we begin, one of the things that I wanted this story to achieve was provoking thought in the readers.

Now, I know that some people might not like that, but I think that getting people to start thinking is a good thing.

Tell me how you think about that.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

Chapter Sixteen:

Odd Interruptions

"_I am dead, there is nothing more to say about that._

"_And now, as I stand beside the Lord Death, I find myself __**greatly**__ disappointed in my legacy._

"_To think that I had ended up leaving the shinobi world in the hands of my two sons, both of which have begun a feud that, I feel, may last for time eternal._

"_Well, I'll just have to think of a way to deal with it, then, now, won't I?"_

_-_The First Sage of the Six Ways

~TtT~

Tsunade dropped herself unto the chair that was, most conveniently, placed behind her.

_God damn, _She sighed. _All of that was exhausting. _She cast a glance around the hospital ward, taking good looks at each of the people there, from the calm of the recovering patients to the weeping of the bereaved, who, as of the moment, sat beside the remains of those that they lost.

Tsunade couldn't help but purse her lips together when her gaze passed over them.

She hadn't been able to save them.

Now, Tsunade of the Sannin was many things, but an unable medic was _not_ something that she was.

The main problem that she encountered would actually be the fact that most of them were already dead upon arrival.

_All things considered, _the Sannin thought morbidly. _You __**really**__ can't do anything about those that are dead on arrival, unless, somehow, someway, you're able to revive the dead._

_That's unlikely, though._

Deciding to place her thoughts on more productive areas, the blonde fifty-three-year-old blonde recalled her discussion with Ebizo:

~TtT~

Tsunade kept her sights on the old elder as she heard the nurse close the door.

"Listening to you while I'm working isn't going to be much of a problem, Ebizo-sama." she then added with a smirk: "Besides, the nurse won't be back for a while," she took a look at the unconscious shinobi who was ling on the operating table. "And we don't have to worry about the kid, I don't think the kid will die for another fe-." she stopped and involuntarily scrunched her eyebrows when her intuition brought an idea to light.

She looked to the old man: "Isn't this thing a fast working poison?"

Ebizo sent her a curious look. "Huh?"

Tsunade shook her head. _Ah... I need to be more specific. _"Forgive me for my vagueness;" she told him. "I meant the poison that was used on him." she gestured to Kankuro. "I thought this poison would have been fast-working since it was used in combat."

The senior nodded. "It was," he looked to the teen on the table. "It's just that the poison is being fought." Ebizo shook his head. "Unfortunately, Kankuro can only manage to slow it down for so long."

He then looked to the Sannin in an amused fashion, an eyebrow raised. "But aren't we straying off topic?"

He was answered with Tsunade giving him a bewildered look.

Ebizo answered the silent question: "We _were_ talking about the Ame foxes, right."

A look of realization then appeared on the blonde's visage, and she sent the old man a grateful nod in affirmation.

"Alright then," he began. "Ame, unlike the other hidden villages, has a very..." he paused, as though thinking of the right words to say. "...-_special_ set of policies that revolve around their shinobi regimen."

The specific words that Ebizo made use of caused the senior medic to raise an eyebrow: "And by that you mean…?" she trailed off, leaving the rest for him to complete.

"Well," he said. "I can't really tell you much, ; well, other than the fact that each time a team from Amegakure is given a mission, except for a few cases, they are usually given an Ame fox."

"Fox?" she queried.

The old man sent her a nod. "Yes, the foxes, according to the prince, serve many purposes; each one of those said purposes are specialized so no team may receive the same fox if the mission parameters are not the same as those of the mission where they used a certain fox."

Tsunade dipped her chin, affirming that she understood the explanation. "Okay, I got that one, but what does that have to do with the _Royal Foxes._" She added: "That's what you called them, right?"

"You see, if the Ame foxes are what we could call the common ninja of a village, the royal foxes fall around place with your level."

"Are you saying they are as powerful as we, Sannin?" she asked the man.

He shook his head. "No, I was merely making an analogy, Tsunade-chan." He looked to the window, taking in the sight of the blue sky. "The royal foxes are a special group, specifically bred, raised, and trained to serve the _prince's_ purposes." He then sent her a grave look. "Although, to what end, no one knows."

His last statement caught her attention. "What do you mean?" her eyebrows were scrunched, lips pulling downward ever so slightly; she was curious, and she showed it.

"As I said earlier," he replied. "Each Ame fox is bred to a specific purpose: tracking, trap detection, combat, espionage, and message, or item, delivery.

"But that's not the case with the Royal Foxes." He continued to speak. "They seem to be capable of working on all fields, what's more, they posses human speech and intelligence."

Tsunade give her input on reply to the most recent statement. "But don't summons speak, Ebizo-sama?"

He nodded, his stoic frown unmoving. "Yes, but we're not talking about summons here, ojou-chan; we're speaking of _regular_ foxes that were merely bred and trained.

"The very first batch of foxes in Ame was trained by, both, the prince and his mother, and they were no different from the ones that Ame has used for the past two years." He shook his head. "No, I think there is more to them than what most see."

~TtT~

_Amegakure, huh... _Tsunade thought as she felt her mind slowly drift off to sleep.

Although, a completely unrelated thought occurred to her just when she could feel oblivion closing in on her:

_I wonder what happened to those kids that Jiraiya trained all those years ago._

~TtT~

Now, Hatake Kakashi was an observant person; there was _no_ denying that fact.

So, in all fairness, it was a perfect surprise to him when he saw the man, who they knew to be Uchiha Itachi, explode, quite literally, in their faces.

It was only the sudden intervention of an unexpected ally that seemed to have saved their hides.

~TtT~

_Slow_... -yes, that was probably one of the best ways do describe how things were moving at the time.

Understand that, from the viewpoint of a certain Hatake Kakashi, everything seemed to move in an intense, almost unbearable, slow pace.

During the milliseconds that passed after Itachi's uttering, no one in the area had the time to move:

Sakura was too far away.

The Suna girls were even farther, having been pulled aside by Chiyo so as not to fall to the burning inferno that the wind-augmented fireball had produced.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was standing across the fissure that had served to block one of Itachi's possible exits, the spot that was closest to the brothers.

It's too bad that the fissure was still too wide for him to jump over, not with the time he had to move.

And, much to the chagrin of everyone who could see, they were incapable of coming to the Uchiha's aid.

Worse, Kakashi noticed, the black-haired-boy wasn't moving.

_What's he doing? _He asked himself.

It was only after thinking of the possible causes did find his answer

_Genjutsu._ He thought glumly. _Snap out of it, Sasuke. _He pleaded, despite the fact that he said nothing. _Don't let this beat you. _He felt helpless; for, having already lost two of his teammates, his sensei, and one of his students, he wasn't sure whether or not he could still bear to lose anyone else more than he already had.

_It's a selfish reason; I know, but it's what makes me who I am; there all I have left, and I am __**not**__ willing to lose anyone else._

It was at this time, as Kakashi was lamenting the situation in the depths of his mind, did he notice the red fox that dashed through the only opening in the figurative box, and bit down on what cloth was located on the small of the teen's back; the mammal then pulled the younger Uchiha behind it, then throwing the human a good ten feet before turning to face the clone, the last of which was now glowing with unstable chakra.

Everyone present unconsciously winced in anticipation of the fox's demise at the hands of the exploding clone.

The resounding '_bang_' followed.

~TtT~

Sasuke was dumfounded.

The first thing he remembered was speaking to his elder brother vie genjutsu, the next thing he could recall was the release of Tsukuyomi, and his brother's use of '_Bunshin Daibakuha_'.

After that, the most he could remember was the sensation of landing on the ground after being thrown backwards, by _ten_ feet, and the hearing of the uttering of the words: '_Shinra Tensei'_.

The Uchiha pushed himself up, making good use of his wrists as bases, trying to get a good look at what was happening.

What he saw was, most definitely, _not_ something that he would have seen on an everyday basis.

The force, and fire, caused by the clone's explosion rushed forth, heading straight for the little fox, by comparison, that stood before it's awe.

But that was not what surprised him.

What _did _surprise him, though, was the fact that, despite the explosion's size and speed, it did _not_ touch the fox, at all; it simply passed above the red creature, making known the presence of a perfectly round barrier that seemed to block away everything.

_That's new._ Was all he could think.

~TtT~

Kakashi stared at what was left of the road that they fought on minutes ago:

The large fireball that had hit them had already burned its way through the surrounding foliage, and left a good spot of black soot on, what could no longer be called, a segment of the road. If a person walked past that, moving in the direction that the rescue team was following at this point time, he, or she, would find a large stone wall, one that was decorated with four dog heads, to his left, and a large fissure, roughly fifteen feet wide, and twice as deep.

_I think Sakura overdid it._ He stopped, taking a little time to confirm whether this sort of sight appeared in his memory.

It did.

_...-again_.

He sighed. _Well, at least we're all still alive._ He turned to look at the rescue team.

Sakura had her hands full, healing the slight burns that were inflicted on the Suna kunoichi, the former's hands glowing with healthy, light-green chakra. The eldest of the team, Chiyo, was applying burn ointments to the places that Sakura might have missed during the initial healing.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke was staring off into the distance, from his place at the top of a forward hill; beside him sat Tendo.

Kakashi looked around, mainly checking the trees; he called: "Akino!" he added while he cupped his hands around his mouth: "Are you still there?"

He heard a bark.

He turned to one of the trees at the side that were, thankfully, spared from the combat, and there he found the signature shine of Akino's sunglasses.

Kakashi felt a smile creep up from under his face mask. _At least he's fine._ He gave the dog a good look-over when the animal was in front of him, sending the latter's master a blank look. "You okay, Akino?"

The dog nodded.

Kakashi's smile turned into a grin. "That's good." the silver-haired man then gave his team a look-over. "Can you lead us to the place still?"

The dog, since the jounin had not been looking, barked back in affirmation.

"Alright then." Kakashi replied; he then called to everyone there. "Oi, team!" they looked back. "if your all ready to go, Akino, here says that he can lead us to the suspected place now!"

The reply from the team was quite simple, really:

They stood up, nodded, and got ready to leave.

_We learn to fear loss from what we have experienced from our past, but we can't let that fear overwhelm us._

_For if we do, we may never learn to look forward, and we may never see what the future has in store for us._

~TtT~

"What the _fuck_ is with this!?"

Kakuzu sent his partner a disdainful look. "Shut up, Hidan. What's with you now?"

Hidan scowled upon hearing his partner's query. "You shut up, Kakuzu!" he shouted back, his eyes flashing with anger and frustration.

The Waterfall missing-nin was about to snap back at the offender when both members of the Red Dawn heard an amused chuckle come from the pale fox that stood before them.

"I always found you two weird, you know that, _Zombie Brothers_?" he stated their pseudo-title with a disparaging tone that made both of the beast's opponents snarl inwardly. "I'm amazed at the fact that both of you are still alive, considering how much you bicker on the battlefield."

The fox's purple eyes lit up with humor, it's lips pulling up into a smirk. He said: "Then again, you are the zombie brothers, after all; I wouldn't be surprised if you two _have_ died." the fox began to lower itself, entering a pouncing stance with its tail in the air, and its ears folded back.

Chikushodo's fur bristled dangerously; he spoke, his voice feral: "But enough of this talk, Hidan, Kakuzu; I grow tired of this playing around."

The two said people, upon hearing the fox's statement, visibly shifted into combat stances:

Hidan's right arm gripped his weapon of choice, the triple-bladed scythe, tightly, holding it forward with the handle at a right angle with his forearm; his left hand pulled at the iron chord that extended from the end of the scythe, keeping it taut to make sure that it hadn't been cut; his front knee, that of the right leg, was bent at a slight angle, his other foot placed a foot behind it, the muscles of the latter was already tens in preparation for any sort of movement.

Kakuzu, meanwhile, spread his legs apart, letting none be in front, or behind, the other; his arms took a similar position.

And so the fight between the two Akatsuki members and the Ame royal fox began:

The fox shifter back, roaring "**Kuchiyose: Waraitentei no Zou! **(Summoning: Statue of the Laughing God)" from the earth in front of Chikushodo, a head of stone appeared; it had a mustache, beard, and large earlobes, it was obviously the statue of a fat man, and, of course, as it's namesake, it's face was a show of mirth and joy, it's eyes closed, and it's lips pulled into a smile.

Chikushodo wasn't done though; before his opponents could do anything else, he added: "**Waraitentei: Fukku no Saishi! **(Laughing God: Festival of Hooks)"

It was then that the laughing god was no longer smiling.

The lips fell into a deep scowl, it's eyebrow furrowed into a frown, and it's eyes opened to a set of fiery red eyes.

Hidan had one thing to say:

"What the _fuck_!?"

Kakuzu, also, had only one thing to tell his partner:

"Hidan!" he cried as he saw the statue's mouth fall open, letting loose a large bout of smoke, and dust. "Move!"

Hidan didn't have the time to ask his partner what it was that brought such alarm as hundreds of hooks and daggers, each one attached to a long, black, iron chain, dispersed the smoke, and flew towards the pair.

The pair, of course, dodged the attack, Kakuzu jumping to his left, the hooks passing just bellow his lower right leg, and Hidan veered to the latter's right, swinging his scythe in the opposite direction in an attempt to parry some of the attacks.

It worked, partially, as he was struck by several of the kunai; they dug into his flesh, but he didn't seem to mind.

The grey-haired twenty-two-year-old looked to the statue to see his foe, the fox, charging forward, running on the bundle of tangled chains.

Another burst of smoke emanated from above the fox's back before a long blue, bandaged spear flew from the smoke.

In retaliation to the move, Hidan threw his scythe to block the oncoming projectile.

It succeeded in stopping the spear, but the pale fox was already upon it when the two weapons lingered in the air after impact; the fox bit down on the scythe's handle, and spun in a downward, left-diagonal direction, then released the bladed weapon to spin toward Kakuzu.

Hidan had one thought:

_Shit._

He quickly reached for one of the hooks that had managed to latch onto his skin. _I just know this going to hurt, fuck! _He wrenched it free, and threw it toward one of the vertical rocks; it was shortly followed by another chain, and hook, which Hidan swung with is left hand going to the right.

Both chains were behind the rock now, both unseen.

Hidan began to tense his arm, getting ready to pull at the chain that was on held by his left hand. _Come on, catch. This has to work._

He pulled.

And felt the chain to his right strain.

The man smirked.

_Nice._

Hidan then grabbed the left-hand chain, and swung it with all his might, the chain on his right was pulled as well, albeit the fact that the links passed behind the large rock.

The hook of the chain on the white-haired man's right latched onto the iron chord of his scythe, causing sparks to fly from the contact of the two metal tools.

He grinned wildly as he moved his left hand to the scythe's chord on his waist; his right hand moved to the chain on his right.

He cried: "Eat this you mother fuckin' fox!" He pulled the chain on his right, causing the scythe to freeze in mid-spin, just feet before it could relieve Kakuzu of his head. The aggressor channeled some chakra into the chord in his left hand, and roared as he pulled the chain on his right all the way.

What happened?

The triple-bladed scythe separated into three, each of the blades attached to the next by the same metal chord that linked the weapon to its owner. Hidan pulled at both the metal chord, and the chain, bringing the scythe, and its three other segments twisting down on the royal fox.

Chikushodo dodged to his right, narrowly avoiding the smallest blade as it cut into the chain segments that it stood on; several of the lengths recoiled after being released from the tensile stress they had been put under when the first blade impacted.

It was half a second later that the second blade was pulled through, and reattached to its brother blade; the impact caused the first blade to burrow deeper into the bundle of entangled chain, cutting several more strands of iron links.

But it was only after the last, and largest, of the triplet blades locked into the first two did the remaining links break, leaving the laughing god with a long black tongue that appeared to have been torn to shreds.

The fox, who was now standing atop the head of the statue that he summoned, snarled at the sight of the broken chains, not liking the how the battle, in its entirety, was going.

"**Waraitentei: Kai! **(Laughing God: Release)" when Chikushodo finished stating the command, several long, sharp teeth began to grow from under the statue's lips. The head, then, bit down, cutting the chains that could no longer serve any purpose whatsoever;

It was followed by the words: "**Katon:**" the statue's red eyes changed from glowing gems to, literally, burning voids as fire burst forth from the god's eye sockets. "**Goryuuka no Jutsu! **(Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame)"

Some began to exude from the gaps between the statue's elongated teeth; it was only several seconds later did the lips part to release the flaming dragon head that flew toward the Akatsuki members.

Much to the dismay of the fox, however, it did _not_ make direct contact with it's targets.

Kakuzu flipped through several seals, and quickly summoned an earthen wall to protect him and his partner from the brunt of the fire attack.

~TtT~

Kakuzu was tired, there was no denying that; their opponent was resilient, having been able to last as long as he did, despite the fact that neither of the two Akatsuki members had gone all out.

"Oi, Hidan," he called to his partner who was standing beside him; the latter's expression was one of great irritation. "Think we should use all we got against this guy?" both continued to heave.

"I don't think you have much of a choice here, Kakuzu-san." both Akatsuki members looked up to see the fox standing atop the wall that Kakuzu's jutsu had made. "…-If you want to make it out of here, at least."

The fox received no civil reply from either of the two.

Kakuzu drew his right arm back as it darkened. "**Doton: Domu no Jutsu! **(Earth style: Earth Spear)"

And the former Waterfall shinobi drove his black fist into the wall, consequently shattering the formation.

This action was followed by Hidan letting loose an angry roar as he jumped up to perform an over-head slash with his red weapon.

Chikushodo retaliated with the summoning of three more spears that he sent to stab Hidan in several places.

Much to the terror of the fox, Hidan did not attempt to dodge any of the projectiles.

The fox could only gaze as the man, who had been stabbed in the left collarbone, undoubtedly resulting in its destruction, the trachea, consequently bringing about the collapse of the man's primary air pathway, and the in the lower abdomen, somewhere around the area of the large intestine, brought his right arm, the one bearing the scythe, down to strike a killing blow.

Oddly enough, it was Hidan who found _himself_ hurtling to the ground due to an axe kick to the top of his head.

~TtT~

The prince and Anko just passed the Wind-River border, and they found themselves facing a large lake when the blond male saw the large statue launch release its fiery charge.

The strange sight caused Anko to raise an eyebrow: "What's that?"

"The Laughing God." The Prince replied concisely, his voice blank.

"The what?" she asked him, not understanding what he meant.

She was replied with a wave of his hand: "Don't worry about that thing right now, Mitarashi-chan." He told her. "We have other things to deal with." He paused.

"Actually, I think I would like you to go ahead."

This statement caused another bout of raised eyebrows. _What did he say._ "And what do you mean by that, Prince-sama?" she queried.

"I meant what I said." He stated in a blank tone. "I need you to go ahead, and help the rescue team in case they run into trouble." He looked at her with his purple eyes, and then looked back to the fight as he saw one of the Akatsuki fighters summon an earth wall. "I'll help with the fight here."

Anko scowled at his request. "No way, brat, I was told to guard you, and that's what I'm going to do." Her hands were at her waist and her legs were apart; her very posture stated her averseness to his decision.

"You do not have to worry about me, Anko-chan," he replied. "I will be able to take care of myself." He then smirked at the purple-haired woman. "Besides, I'm not who I am for nothing, you know."

She sighed. "Alright, but be careful out there." They both began to run across the water, one headed for the little island at the center, while the other moved to cross it. "I wouldn't want to get into trouble for letting you get killed."

The prince chuckled lightly at her statement. "Alright then." They resumed their run.

"Anko," she turned to look at the prince, who had been the one to call her, without _any_ honorific, and the special jounin found herself surprised by the look he had on his countenance:

He looked concern, if only slightly, but the expression his eyes held was one of genuine care and worry.

"Be careful out there."

She couldn't help but grin. "Who do you think your talking to, brat;" her grin turned to a smile, "Just get to your fight."

And to their respective battles they went.

* * *

I won't ask any plot-related questions for this chapter, but I would like you to just please tell me how you think of my work so far.

But that doesn't mean I have no questions, just not plot-related:

Do you think I should change the story tags?

I'll honestly say that I'm not so sure about narusaku for this story anymore, but I still want to keep the plot to continue concentrating on their sides of life.

I also noticed that is constantly shift points of view.

So… please tell me what you think about that.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster


	17. Confrontations

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, lest we find the world at its end

* * *

Greetings everyone, nothing much to say here; all things considered, I could go for another display of _opinion_, but I think I will do that sometime else.

* * *

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

gunnslie: I thank you for appreciation of that scene, and I hope that this chapter is to your liking

Muses: firstly, I thank you for the support; secondly, with regard to the quotes, I have started to design them as a puzzle; the readers will have to put the pieces together in order to understand things more. All things considered, I didn't really make it _too_ hard now. With regard to your question for the scene of the prince and Sasuke, I'll give you this answer: when I said that the _**'purple took over the white,'**_ I meant that the purple from the center of the eye spread outwards, covering the eye's whites, if you will. Also, I am glad that you like my writing style.

spazzgirl: the fact that you thought that means that my writing style is working on you; well, I'm glad that you like the story, and I hope to continue to please.

frytrix: thank you. Now, with regard to the excerpt, I'm not sure if I had read it from a book because it just came to me, so it was possible to have been original, but it was also possible that I had gotten inspiration for it from somewhere.

OmegaThunderstorm: I'm glad that there are others that agree with me on the subject. It was just _really_ something that I needed to get off my chest.

Anon-san: now, it's true that the demon of the mist, along with his six other colleagues used Zanbato, but it's just that they didn't really seem to function as an assassination unit. Silent killing can be done anywhere, an indoor killing inside a narrow hallway is _far_ too specific for the use of those impractical swords.

Paimon: true, true which is why I have been trying ti get the action started in the more recent chapters.

Crypton89: well now, I'm glad you liked that; also, whoever mentioned Naruto being the prince? *laughs*

adventureFINAL: your review was a _very_ informative one, and I thank you profusely for that. Now, the confusion was something that I _**really**_ intended to keep, considering that I drop more and more mysteries as I go along, but this doesn't mean that I don't leave clues either. Also, I have to agree with you on the OC thing; I think this chapter is more centered around are all-time favorite team: _**team seven.**_

I Kicked A Baby: I don't know, but I think that it would be a good idea, on your part, to please be patient. I intend to do that on the next arc.

Kerensky02: I will have to apologize with regard to the making of my chapters any longer than my regular, as, sometimes, I am just not capable of making things any longer, no longer have the patience to continue writing the said chapter, or I had really intended for it to end there.

* * *

Now, with regard to the length, I write on impulse, and availability of inspiration. Sometimes, it just comes to me, and sometimes I have to think about it… real hard.

This chapter is as long as my more regular chaps (3k + words)

Anyway, the story tag has been changed, and other things.

Also, thanks to Kerensky02, with regard to the reviews: you see, this is just my third story, and I'm still working on this as I go along. More detailed reviews, suggestions, or comments on my already-existing work would be of great help to me; so I ask you, my dear readers, to please leave, even _slightly,_ more detailed reviews.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

Chapter Seventeen:

Confrontations

"_You..._

"_You have won the hearts of the people;_

"_You have gained the favor of the council;_

"_Hell, you even acquired the friendship of the current Hokage!_

"_All __**you**__ have left to do is __verbally__ proclaim your desire to be the next leader._

"_Although, certain actions that you have taken make me wonder._

"_There is more to this than what meets the eye._

"_Tell me,_

"_What on earth are you planning now?"_

-Orochimaru of the Sannin

~TtT~

The cave had fallen into a peaceful silence since the conclusion of the sealing, and the remaining three, as Zetsu joined the pair several minutes after the artists had left, Akatsuki members stood around the Kazekage's fallen form.

"The sealing is over." the Akatsuki leader stated a-matter-of-factly; he turned to Zetsu. "Report."

The inhuman image looked at its leader for several seconds before giving the latter his reply: "Far from good, leader-sama." the hologram said in a sunken voice. "Kisame-san has been incapacitated, and Itachi-san has left the general battlefield."

The image then added in an odd voice: "Worse yet," began the deep, sinister tone. "I have managed to confirm the presence of Ame shinobi among the enemy ranks."

It was in this last statement that a reaction, from Pein, had been acquired:

Grayish-purple eyes widened upon hearing the news; the organization's leader turned to his partner, then back to the previous speaker: "Are you able to name any of them? They haven't come within my sensory range as of yet."

The monstrous projection returned a nod, one that was exaggerated by the two extensions that came from its shoulders.

Zetsu's tone was _far_ graver than the intonation he had made use of earlier: "I have confirmed the presence of the Prince of Rain currently fighting Hidan and Kakuzu."

Both Pein and Konan stiffened as the news sunk in.

The female asked the reporter: "If the prince is here, then there must be, at _least_, one Royal Fox with him as well; can you give us a name, Zetsu-san?"

It was the thinner voice, this time, which gave the kunoichi an answer: "I am afraid that the situation may be worse than we had expected, Konan-sama." he stated with a downtrodden look.

He turned to face her: "There is not one, but _two_ foxes here, in River country, today."

Pein, at the reply, who had been looking intently at the, now dead, fifth Kazekage, turned his gaze sharply to the only other shinobi in the cave, the former taking care to keep his head in the same position. "_What was that, Zetsu?_" not waiting for an answer, the Akatsuki leader added: "State the location, and names, of the two foxes."

Zetsu remained silent for a short while, as though trying to pinpoint the exact location and respective chakra signatures of the two mammals. He mentally sighed. "There is one fighting along side the prince;" the hologram began in a flat tone. "It's Chikushodo the Beastly." he then remained silent, neither moving nor speaking anything in addition.

"Zetsu-san," Konan said. "I believe you mentioned another fox; would you mind telling us of it?"

The aforementioned Akatsuki member was visibly hesitating, and, much to the growing irritation of the organization's leader, it was at this time that Pein sensed the entrance of several intruders upon his sensory range.

"Tendo is with the rescue team," the hologram of the leader stated. "And it appears that they have managed to come dangerously close to our location."

"Do you think they know where to find us, Pein?" the image of the female queried.

Pein turned to his partner, consequently allowing back to face the other missing-nin; the former nodded: "I'd say so; I had sensed several animal presences earlier, during the sealing, but I disregarded them as wild." the Akatsuki leader's eyes began to radiate dangerously as he gazed upon his subordinate, the former's position unchanging. "Perhaps it would have been best that you had reported _that_ piece of information first, Zetsu-san."

Pein turned to face the door: "They are upon us, and there is little we can do about that fact." he then added without looking at either of them: "But that doesn't mean that there is nothing that we can do about the situation that we are in." he looked to the Kazekage.

"Am I to dispose of the body, then, leader-sama?" queried Zetsu.

The image of the Akatsuki leader shook its head. "No, this one might be dead, but it is not lost its usefulness to us;" he then returned his gaze to the door before speaking:

"Both of you, leave; I shall take care of things here."

~TtT~

The wind in river country swept through the land. It had been accompanied by the swaying of the branches, the tapping of the waves, and the chirping of the birds.

~TtT~

Uchiha Sasuke placed one of his hands on the security seal as he stuck to the same stone wall it was attached to; he whispered into his radio, which had been latched onto his ear: "Uchiha Sasuke, in position."

A good ways north of the Uchiha, a Suna kunoichi prepared to remove an identical seal that had been placed on a lone rock. "Sabaku no Temari, ready."

Next to a calm river, one that could be located by going in the opposite direction of the previous, Matsuri wrapped her fingers around the piece of paper that was four times the size of her open palm. She said: "Uh, this is Kiokure Matsuri, I'm in position."

Hatake Kakashi rubbed his chin as he stood at the center of the grove, to the west of the youngest Suna team member, looking intently at the last seal. "Kakashi here, I _guess_ I this is the seal." he scratched his uncovered brow, and placed his free hand on the seal.

"Kakashi-sensei," he heard a female voice, through the intercom, say. "Please take this seriously." there was a short pause before she added: "Haruno Sakura, in place, and ready to go."

Kakashi sighed: "Alright, everyone," the radio transmission communicated to all the members of the rescue team. "On my signal, I want you to remove the tokens, Chiyo-sama will take care of the main token at the door." he paused. "Sakura, I want you to go for a button-hook entry once Chiyo-sama removes her assigned seal."

The Konoha jounin heaved a heavy sigh. _God, I hope this goes well._

"Alright, now!"

~TtT~

"Oi, Deidara," asked a certain hunched person. "You hear that?"

"Huh?" the Iwa shinobi sent his senior a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

The clothed piece of wood shook its head as turned to the general direction of the hideout. "Forget it;" Akasuna no Sasori then began to trudge forward, subsequently leaving a trail of up-heaved sand in his wake. "Come on, they've already gotten to the base; leader-sama wanted us to wait for his signal before we made our move, and we should get closer for a better view."

Deidara stared at his partner's shrinking back. "Sasori-no-Danna, do you even _know_ what the signal is?"

The strange creature stopped moving, and turned to face his companion: "Don't give me that, kid, we'll know the signal when we see it." He turned then began to continue on his way.

"Besides," the Suna missing-nin added. "I don't want to make leader-sama wait more than intended."

~TtT~

The two kunoichi held their guard as they surveyed their surroundings:

The cave was large, that specific detail was discernible despite the lack of proper lighting; other with this detail, the only thing that stood out from the black monotony were the two figures that took post on the opposite curve of the stone dome.

Both genin and elder moved forward, getting closer to the structure's center as they tried to get a better view of the two others in the cave.

The first figure, of course, was the one that commanded majority of the intruder's attention:

It was sabaku no Gaara, limp and lifeless.

Sakura's own wide eyes moved from the unconscious teen to the other life form that stood above the kage.

That was the odd thing, though…

Sakura carefully examined that which she had her sights on as she continued to get closer to where the kage laid:

The life form, apparently, was not a life form at all. It was, in fact an image, considering the fact that it was actually standing between them and the boy while the boy's image could be seen through it.

"May I ask," Sakura's gaze snapped toward the source of the disrupted voice: the purple-eyed image. "What are you doping here?"

"We have come for our Kazekage." –was the elder's calm reply; the old woman did not seem the least bit bothered by the, seemingly, intangible form of the man they were speaking to. "And what about you?" she threw back before the image could speak. "What business do _you_ have with our Kazekage?"

"Don't you think that would be a foolish question to ask, _elder_?" replied the image in the same emotionless, yet disfigured, voice. "This child here was the jinchuuriki of the ichibi no Shukaku, yes?" the image tilted the form of its head to one side, sending the two kunoichi a mockery of innocent curiosity. "Tell me, what do you suppose I could have done, then?"

It was at this point in time that the old woman's eyes widened as the realization made itself known. _No…_ Chiyo's eyes turned to the fallen kage. "You were going to seal the demon." She whispered in a, barely, audible voice.

"Correction, old one." The leader said. "We _have_ sealed the demon." The image's hand gestured to the teenager that lie on the ground behind the former: "This boy is no longer the jinchuuriki of the one tailed beast; sabaku no Gaara has served his purpose."

"Wait," it was the Haruno that interjected; she turned to the eldest person among the conscious trio: "Chiyo-baa-sama, what does he mean; what demon, what seal? For that matter, what's a jinchuuriki?"

"That is quite a lot of questions to ask for someone who is involved in such things, don't you think, _little girl_?" it was not the elder that gave Sakura an answer; the image turned to the old woman: "I can _certainly _say that this does not reflect Suna very well to the other villages, since their genin don't even know of the definition of the terms."

Sakura looked to the Akatsuki leader: "I'm not from Suna."

The image tilted its head again. "So you are one of the Konoha shinobi, then?"

He was replied with a nod from the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I see," he said. "But still, that is _no_ excuse for your ignorance, considering your own involvement with Konoha's jinchuuriki, as long past as it may have been."

This reply from the hologram caused Sakura's eyebrows to scrunch together involuntarily. _My own involvement with a jinchuuriki; what is he talking about?_

"A jinchuuriki," the image began the explanation: "Is a, usually, a human being that has been used as a demon's prison;" he paused. "A container, if you will." The leader then gestured to Gaara: "This boy here is the container of one of the nine tailed beasts; the former is an example of what I have just explained."

"What of the tailed beasts then?" Sakura asked.

"That information is not as important as what I have just told you;" He then added:

"Besides, it's not that you actually need to know any of that information in order to die, now do you?"

And the intangible form of the Akatsuki leader faded from sight, leaving the Chiyo, Sakura, and, the unmoving, Gaara at the mercy of the person that stood at the cave's entrance.

~TtT~

Uchiha Sasuke was not having a good day, that was certain beyond all else.

He stared as the object, which had originally been an amount of rock that fell from the stone wall, transformed into an apparent copy of himself.

The Uchiha scowled. "Oi, Kakashi-sansei, you there?"

"Yo," -was the reply from over the radio. "You need something, Sasuke?"

"Yeah," the genin answered. "You seeing what I'm seeing?" he added into his mouthpiece.

The Sasuke clone, of course, was not going to give its opponent a chance to do anything; it charged forward, and went for straightforward punch to the face.'

"That depends," Sasuke heard his teacher over the intercom as he tilted his body to the left to dodge his opponent's right fist. "Are you, by any chance, facing off with a copy of yourself after you pulled out the seal?" Sasuke scoffed upon hearing his sensei's words as the former made a clockwise spin to deliver an axe kick, with his right foot, to the shoulder of the clone's aggressing side.

"Looks like we got ourselves a little situation here." The remaining male genin of team seven did not sound frustrated in the least. _And why the hell should I be?_ He thought as he felt his foot strike when the clone pulled back its arm to make a block; both Sasuke, and his clone, skidded back several meters. _After all, it's been a while since I had a good mission._ The Uchiha grinned as he began to move through several hand seals.

"**Katon: Kajiyari Renda!** (Fire Style: Blazing Spear Barrage)" Sasuke placed his hand in the designated position as he blew through the gaps between his fingers.

This resulted in the firing of decades of blazing spears that flew in at random intervals in the general direction the youngest Uchiha was facing; each of the spears expanded on contact, consequently, due to their number, leaving majority of the area before the Uchiha ablaze.

_Wait, that's it?_

Sasuke's grin faded into a slight frown as he thought of the possibility that the fight was over; although he was interrupted from any further thought by the sudden flight of a grand fireball from the immolating trees.

The surprised Uchiha placed his arms before his head as the large fireball consumed him, leaving scorched earth in the phenomenon's aftermath.

On the other side of the battlefield, meanwhile, the fire that was caused by the original Sasuke had died down to reveal the clone to have had taken a perch at the top of the earthen wall where it had originated from, resulting in its protection of the hot fire that scattered from the Uchiha's attack.

The clone jumped, and slid down the stone's diagonal face, jumping three-fourths of the way down, and landing with a crouch; the jutsu-derived creature walked toward the blackened soil that once held up its original.

Only, it found no evidence that there was anyone that had been there, burned to ash or otherwise.

~TtT~

Elsewhere, more specifically, in the grove that had been entered by a certain Hatake Kakashi, the familiar sound of clashing metal was heard as, both, Kakashi and his clone, clashed in another flash of shining metal.

Kakashi pulled his free hand back for a left hook while the clone pulled away, and went for an over-head somersault slash with its kunai.

The aforementioned jounin quickly dropped to the ground, and used his hands to push himself backwards; just as the one of the clone's palms made contact with the ground to conclude the flip, Kakashi place his feet on the ground, and pounced, a kunai in each hand.

This was returned with the clone, rather than completing the turn, pushed against the surface to propel itself high enough to avoid Kakashi's attack.

The said jounin growled slightly as he returned to a standing position to face his opponent.

_So, these clones know our moves and attack styles._ The man sighed as he continued to eye his opponent. _This won't be easy._

Kakashi gripped his twin kunai a little tighter, his legs tenses in preparation for a straightforward charge.

_Nope, this won't be easy at all._

~TtT~

"Old woman," said the person at the door. "I was surprised when I fires heard that you were involved in this little rescue attempt, you know." The hunched form continued: "I had really expected you to have died already."

Sakura and Chiyo turned to look at the man that occupied the entrance.

"You're not the only one who didn't expect this, you know, Sasori." -Replied the elder. "I thought you had died all those years ago, grandson."

At this, Sakura sent the older woman a surprised look: "He's your grandson, Chiyo-baa-sama?"

The senior nodded: "Yes, my _prodigal, traitorous_ grandson."

The object at the door crawled forward. "Don't you think it's been a little _too_ long to still be thinking about that?"

Chiyo shook her head: "It will never be long enough to forget what you have done, Akasuna no Sasori."

"I see," the man sighed. "Will you tell me, then why you are here?" the wrinkled face tilted to the side as the Akatsuki member continued: "It isn't to rescue the Kazekage, that much I'm sure of; am _I _your target, then?"

The old lady sent her grandson a wrinkled smile. "No," she told him with a shake of the head. "I _am_ after the Kazekage, but you are _also_ on my to-do list, Sasori." She reached into her robes. "Your actions have been too bothersome to remain ignored, and your actions have now gone too far." She pulled the two chords, and released her myriad of chakra-controlled kunai. "It's time that resolved the disputes of our broken family, don't you agree with me, child?"

Both kunoichi heard the audible scoff that came from their common foe. "Family, hag?" the question was then followed by a set of deep breaths. "Perhaps you could elaborate on that..." Sasori looked up to send a dark glare at the one of the last few remnants of his family. "…-because, if I could recall, I _never_ had much of a family to have a dispute with in the first place."

Chiyo couldn't help but scowl upon hearing her descendant's words. "You're right," she answered him. "Perhaps we never have," she crossed her arms in front of her face, and wrung her fingers. "but," she added: "Either way, we can't let this go on any longer." Both she and Sakura entered their respective battle stances. "It has already gone long enough."

It was then that the ceiling of the cave gained a skylight.

~TtT~

Smoke rose from the little pit at the center of the artificial island; several minutes had now passed since the conclusion of the battle between the prince, his fox, and the two Akatsuki members that fought them.

The blond teen scowled as his cold amethyst gaze swept over the contents of the pit: two human bodies, black, dry, andnearly deformed beyond _all_ recognition.

"Chikushodo," the royal called, his voice no longer the humorous, friendly voice of a politician, but the cold, commanding, ominous polyphony of demon, human as it sounded. "Come."

The pale fox, without a hint's hesitation, came to its master's side. "Yes, master, what do you ask of me?"

The teen gestured an iron-clad hand to one of the smoking corpses: "What can you make of this?"

The mammal beast removed its gaze from its superior, and turned to the two diseased, taking great care in its examination. "These are not Hidan and Kakuzu of the Akatsuki, sire."

The blond nodded. "My thoughts exactly;" he moved his right hand to touch his chin as he crossed his left over his chest. "Those two would _not_ have died to my Mabushiihadou; not immediately, at least." the prince shook his head, his scowl receding into a slight frown. "No, I know this jutsu, and there is only one person, _outside_ Ame, that is capable of it."

The animal immediately narrowed its own purple eyes. "This confirms your theory, then, master?"

The royal teenager's expression became feral, a toothy grin forming where his frown had been, with his tongue licking the front of his incisors. "Yes, that would be the case, my pet.

"The traitor, Pein, is a part of Akatsuki, and you know what?" the royal asked his fox.

"I think father will be _very_ pleased to know that things have gone _exactly_ as we have wanted for the fools."

* * *

So, what do you think.

I honestly felt awkward as I started this chapter, but, by the time I reached Sasuke's scene, it started to feel a little more natural.

Anyway, see you all next week.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster


	18. Prelude to Combat

Hello everyone.

Let's begin with an apology, as I was feeling _real_ off last week, and, in fact, I'm still feeling a little off.

Now, with regard to my author's rant (that is the official term, yes?), Hyuuga Hinata.

I'm am not being sarcastic, okay. I am genuinely curious:

How did she get so popular?

Al things considered she doesn't have much screen time, so how?

Again, I am _**NOT **_bashing her, I just want to know.

Anyway…

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

Chapter Eighteen:

Prelude to Combat

"_These fools, they continue to bask in the, so called, 'glories' of the third great shinobi war._

"_Yet, they fail to see the fact that our descendants remain subject to our mistakes, whether the children are even aware of that fact or not._

"_It is said that history was meant to repeat itself;_

"_I think that statement is right._

"_For as long as the root of that cycle is kept intact, no change can come to this foolish society we live in._

"_I can see the fruits of your intentions, Namikaze Minato._

"_Very well, then, you have my help."_

-Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage

~TtT~

A knock was heard from the door that led to Kankuro's room.

"Kankuro-sama," called a, distinctly, female voice from the other side. "May I come in?"

Sabaku no Kankuro responded quickly, sending his visitor an affirmative response immediately after she had finished voicing her question:

"Yeah, yeah;" he called through the closed portal. "Just make sure you close the door when you do."

He received no verbal response as the eighteen-year-old heard the signature creak of the opening, rectangular-shaped, block of wood.

The girl stood behind him: "Kankuro-sama, will you be attending the council meeting? It's going to be held in several minutes."

The male brunette scoffed. "Tell the old fools that I have a rescue team to back-up." He told the younger girl. "And what will you do, Sari?" he sent her his black gaze. "Little Matsuri joined in the rescue to save Gaara, too; anything you intend to do from here?" he queried while looking over the remains of his three puppets. _It seems that I won't be able to salvage anything from these three._ His eyebrows furrowed as he waited for a response form the girl. _I'll need a new puppet._

The brown-haired girl, her said hair falling past her shoulders, sent the older shinobi a smile: "You already know my answer, Kankuro-sama." their eyes met as sunlight filtered through the screened window of the darkening room. "Where you go, I will follow."

The middle sand sibling couldn't help but return the gesture as he, once again, looked to the room's only other occupant.

"Well now," said a novel voice, coming from the, now closed, door. "I certainly hope that you two don't loose yourselves in you little moment when we have a kage to help."

The Kazekage's younger brother's smile immediately turned into a frown as he turned to the blond, twenty-year-old, councilman: "Oi, Doki, did Shingi-jii ever tell you that it's impolite to interrupt important moments?"

"He's right, you know." -Called an older man who entered the room, following the aforementioned twenty-year-old. "You _could_ have left them to their privacy first." The white-haired elder, Shingi, added.

Doki, like his companion, was dressed in samurai armor, albeit the fact that the former's was silver in color; the cuirass, shoulder, and leg, plates decorated with latticed images of serpents, and upon his chest was, dyed with black lacquer, was the image of the _Yamata no Orochi_, the legendary eight-headed snake; lastly, around his neck, he wore a black scarf that fell swept across the ground with every move he made.

Kankuro and sari then turned to look at the oldest man in the group:

Elder councilman Shingi, in his fifty-seven years of age, did not seem to possess the body that had usually been associated with the length he had been among the living. He was clad in, what appeared to be, armor made from pieces of human bone held together by means unknown to the Suna shinobi. Over the armor, the elder wore a white, sleeveless, Haori that had been decorated with black lines which ran across the back, and along the hem; strapped to his waist, was set four swords, two on each side, with their lengths kept hidden by the cloth of the said article of clothing.

"Well, now." -Appraised Kankuro as he took in the sight of the two samurai in front of him. "I _never_ thought I'd see the day that the old general would wear his armor again." He continued to speak, his smirk turning into a full-blown grin. "I guess that means that you two are coming with Sari and I, then?"

The statement brought about slight curiosity to well up within the kunoichi in the room: "Wait," she voiced with furrowed eyebrows. "Shingi-sama, I thought that the village would be left under your leadership in the case that the Kazekage should be incapacitated;" she asked the eldest person in the room. "Isn't that what Kazekage-sama ordered several months ago?"

The genin was answered with a wrinkled smile from the old councilman: "That's right, little Sari, but Baki is as capable a leader as I am," he then added: "Besides, I am more needed as a soldier, right now, than a politician."

"He's got that right," –added Doki. "The village may not have enough shinobi to send anyone out, but then, we're not shinobi, now, are we?" the blond grinned as he eyed the two teens. "Now," the younger politician turned to Kankuro. "Are _you_ ready to leave?"

Kankuro's grin faded away as his thoughts returned to his lack of weaponry. "_I_ am," he told Doki. "The problem is," the Kazekage's older brother threw his left thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the shards of wood and iron that rested upon the worktable. "I don't have anything to fight with."

Doki's solemn expression, after seeing the remains of Kankuro's favorite puppets, told the others that he understood the implications of the statement; he turned to the shinobi: "Can't you just get them replaced; those _are_ standard-issue puppets, right?"

The puppet master nodded. "Yeah, they're standard issue," his frown deepened. "But that's the problem; these guys, here, were developed by Sasori." He gestured to the puppets as he spoke. "So even if I _do_ get to replace them with the same models, they're, pretty much, useless against the bastard since he knows them in and out."

"Well," Shingi interjected. "If your only problem is finding something to use, I don't think you will have any problem with that." The councilman went out of the room, calling back: "The prince passed by my office earlier today, and he left me something to give you."

"Prince-dono was here?" Sari questioned. "I thought he was in Konoha?"

Doki nodded. "Ya, he was;" the man smirked. "Well, up until this morning, at least."

"Are you saying that he came to deal with things here, himself?" Kankuro asked in a tone as blank as his facial expression. "Besides, how did he get here in the span of several hours?"

It was then that the realization dawned on Sari's countenance. "Yeah, it usually takes three days to come to Suna from Konoha; doesn't that mean that he covered the distance in less than half a day?"

"Well," said Shingi as he entered the room, the object from the prince held over his right shoulder. "He _does_ have his ways, right?"

And, unto the floor, councilman Shingi placed the coffin he brought in.

~TtT~

Sabaku no Temari jumped away from the tree branch she had taken occupancy on just as a gust of wind tore the object to shreds.

_This is getting monotonous. _She told herself, as she landed on the next tree. _That __**thing**__ has got all of my knowledge and abilities; unfortunately, that also means that it knows how to counter anything I throw at it._ She began to look around her area: _Now, where could the others be?_

Her fight started simple enough, the moment she pulled out the seal, the earth that it covered immediately formed into an exact copy of herself.

Of course, not wanting to be killed by the aggressive creature, she fought it.

_It's already been half an hour._ The blonde kunoichi noted as she jumped to the next tree. _And I've gotten no closer to beating her than I had when I started._ She then looked behind her, trying to verify whether, or not, her clone was following her.

Much to her chagrin, however, what she found was something worse.

The eldest of the sand siblings quickly drew her fan, opened it, and cried: "**Futon: Kazekiri no jutsu! **(Wind Style: Wind Slash)"

The following wave of cutting wind collided with the wave that had been sent by the clone, resulting in the neutralization of the attack.

Of course, that didn't mean that the maneuver didn't do _anything_.

The many trees that surrounded the Suna kunoichi, and her clone, were, either, uprooted, truncated, or simply torn to shreds.

Temari, making use of her mastery of wind, rode the errant airwaves and softly floated to the ground.

_Kazetaiso Isei (Wind Emperor's Might)_. Temari scowled as she saw the clone glide to the ground. _It's the strongest move that I know right now,_ the blonde gave her opponent a look over. _It creates a vacuum around the user, as it gathers all of the air in a certain range, and then fires it as a concentrated ball toward the target. _Her eyes narrowed as she scowled. _It usually takes half my chakra to fire a shot as concentrated as the one she made just now; she doesn't even look winded!_

Temari gasped as she felt a sudden emptiness within her; she clutched her chest while her scowl turned into a feral snarl. _Looks like while this bitch, here, isn't getting winded, that last attack took a little more out of me than I intended; where does that chakra __**come**__ from!?_ She risked a glance to her south. _I need to get to Matsuri;_ the blonde returned her gaze to the expressionless clone. _At least that way, we can deal with these things, if she's in the same problem as I am, together._

The Suna kunoichi opened her giant, iron fan, and prepared to send a swing; of course, the clone readied itself to counter the oncoming attack.

Temari smirked. _It seems that you can't think outside the box much, you little bitch. _Her left hand swiftly left the fan, and reached into her kimono to pull out a smaller, black and gold fan; she opened it:

"**Fuusajin no jutsu! **(Sandstorm Jutsu)"

~TtT~

A certain Haruno, accompanied with the Suna elder, jumped backward as large chunks of rock began to fall.

"Hey, how've all of you been, yeah?" asked the blond that sat upon a large, white bird as it descended from the new opening on the ceiling. "I hope you've been fine."

"Deidara, you little shit." Sasori snarled, sending his partner a harsh glare when the latter's mount touched the ground. "You're late, _again_." The hunched creature growled. "Do you have _any_ idea how frustrated leader-sama will be with you?"

"Details, details." The blonde waved off. "I had to get more clay, just in case I'd run into someone I had to fight, you know?" the blond shrugged, jumping off his bird. "After all, it was _you_ who told me to come prepared, yeah?"

Sakura turned to gauge the scorpion's reaction: he seemed to calm slightly at his partner's reasoning.

"Fine, then," Sasori replied. "But try to be more prepared next time around, I have already warned you once about preparing well, I don't think there will be a next time." The Suna missing-nin began to move forward, heading closer to the two kunoichi that stood between them, the old woman facing her grandson, the younger girl facing the younger Akatsuki member, respectively.

"Now that that's been settled," he told Chiyo. "Where were we, _grandmother_?" he asked, placing bitter emphasis on his last word; he turned to Deidara. "Get moving."

His partner, with a toothy grin, complied:

The white bird, before anyone could react, took the unconscious Kazekage in its mouth, and took to the sky, closely followed by its master.

"It seems…" began the blond. "…-that I am needed elsewhere, ladies." He waved to the two kunoichi. "Perhaps, depending on master's decision, we _may_ meet again."

Sakura's eyes widened as the Akatsuki member's creature continued its assent into the sky; she began to move to follow it.

It was then that she was stopped by the old Chiyo.

"Wait, Sakura," the elder stated, not taking her eyes off her grandson. "Ask the others to take care of it." Sakura followed the former's gaze to look at the hunched man. "I need you here."

The pink-haired girl sent the older woman a determined look. "Alright then." She moved one of her hands to her ear. "Haruno calling, is anyone there? The Kazekage is being moved, please intercept.

There was no answer.

"I repeat: the Kazekage has being moved, please intercept."

The intercom remained silent.

"The package is in danger of loss, please, anyone, we _need_ to get him back!"

"_**I got ya' kid.**_" The reply from the intercom came as a saving grace, causing Sakura's demeanor to instantly brighten, and Chiyo to breathe a sigh of relief. "_**Mitarashi here, I'll get you're kage back for ya'.**_" There was a chuckle. "_**Just tell me where you want me to be, and I'll see what I can do for ya', 'kay?**_"

"Alright." -Replied Sakura; she turned to Chiyo. "I'll need to give her coordinates; can you keep him off me for a minute?"

The old woman nodded in affirmation. "All right, child. I'll-."

She wasn't able to finish speaking as she had to dodge a strike from the scorpion tail that slithered out form under Sasori's cloak; Sakura took this opening to relate to the special jounin the general description of the area outside the cave.

"Well now," the aforementioned man stated as he moved forward several paces. "I'm letting you contact help for the jinchuuriki now, the least you could do is have the decency to not make me wait." He tilted his head in the direction of the elder. "I know grandmother is aware of that quirk of mine," he turned to the said relative. "Isn't that right?"

And what was the reply he received?

"True, true," Chiyo told him. "And I agree with you, Sasori," she reached into her sleeves to release two chords of kunai, numbering at, roughly, fifteen. "It _would_ be good if we could start."

And so the fight began.

~TtT~

"So," asked Toyotomi from under his hat. "Where do we go from here, Do-senpai?"

"If you are referring to which of the people in the immediate area we are supposed to help, then I think we're stuck." The taller of the two, Tokugawa, replied.

"Well," the water-user began. "As I see it, we have five options." He gestured to the cave's entrance, which stood a good fifty meters from them, who were at the top of a cliff. "Our first choice is assisting the two who went into the cave, but I think it would be better if we left them there." He pointed to the west. "Also-."

"Wait," the other cloaked man interrupted. "What makes you say it is better that we leave the two kunoichi in the cave?"

"Well," Toyotomi hummed as he thought of a good answer. "There are two people trapped there." He gestured to the direction he had been pointing to prior to the interruption: "Also, there are two more people there," he, next, pointed to the east. "And there are more people there.

"Our orders are to help the rescue team, right?"

Tokugawa nodded slowly.

"_So,_" resumed the shorter storm guard. "Since the two in the cave don't seem to be in trouble, and the other four seem to be having a hard time, we should go and help _them_."

"I don't have much of an argument with your idea, kid." -Stated the earth-master, rubbing his unseen chin in thought. "We'll go with that for now.

"I'll head to east, and you head west; we'll assist those that need help, and we'll head back here.

"Is that understood?"

Toyotomi, understanding that he was being spoken to by Tokugawa as a senior, replied accordingly:

"Of course, sir."

~TtT~

Hatake Kakashi broke his charge, barely, stopping in time to prevent his body from colliding with the, recently summoned, earthen wall that was brought forth by his clone to come between them.

His concentration on the wall was broken as the stated object was shattered by an electric-charged palm.

_Raikiri._ Kakashi observed as he quickly jumped back in an attempt to dodge the coming attack; this was shortly followed by the shinobi stopping after one step, and moving for a swift back-spin kick with his right heel; this action was replied with a closed-arm block from the, formerly, Raikiri-charged arm.

The clone sent, with its left arm, a swift punch to Kakashi's open spine.

The Konoha jounin bent his left knee, that of the foot that remained on the ground, and let himself fall, causing the punch to fly harmlessly above him.

Take note, of course, that the right foot remained upon the blocking arm despite of this.

The last remaining Hatake then supported his body on his two palms, his twin kunai lying beneath the stated appendages; he sent his left foot to close in on his foe's head, completing a powerful scissor kick with the clone's right arm and head caught in the blow.

_There. _Kakashi thought, _that should have provided enough of a shock to buy me some time. _He was already closing his palms around the twin kunai.

It was at that time that he felt the clone's left arm, the one that threw the missed punch, grab hold of his own left foot, and began to twist it at an angle, and a speed, that the interior cartilage could not handle.

And the result?

Hatake Kakashi's ankle bone shattered.

_This thing._ The white-haired jounin grit his teethe as eh pushed away when the clone involuntarily released its hold on the broken joint. _Apparently, it doesn't feel shock, pain, or any other emotion;_ he completed a full somersault, and landed on his right foot; he gazed at his opponent. _I won't be able to capitalize on those things. _he began to look around. _How am I supposed to deal with this? Perhaps there is something that it __**couldn't **__copy?_

His eyes widened at the sudden epiphany:

He reached for his forehead protector, and pulled up.

_I hope this works…_

He huffed as he placed his hands into a tiger seal

…_-Or else the internal bleeding from the bone breakage will kill me._

~TtT~

Akasuna no Sasori swung his long, wooden tail as the numerous kunai flew toward him.

"Chakra-controlled kunai," he stated as the ten, of the fifteen, kunai were sent flying to the far end of the cave. "That's a little _too_ basic for your style, don't you think, you old hag?" the male puppet master tilted his head to the right, effectively dodging the remaining five that were aimed at the said body part.

"Sometimes, child," the old elder began as she flicked her fingers, bringing the fifteen daggers to position in front of her. "The fundamentals are able to stand above the greatest of complexities." She snuck a glance at the teenager that accompanied her, taking notice of the fact that the latter was, no longer, speaking into the intercom.

She returned her glance to the Suna missing-nin as he sent her an answer: "Perhaps in combat," he then added. "But in the art of puppetry, complexity is equivalent to superiority." The male's blank turned into a glare. "You of _all_ people should be able to answer that." _After all, your own set of puppets is quite complicated as well. _"But, do tell me, _dear grandmother_, what puppets you intend to use here, as I do not see anything of note." The tail pointed to the pink-haired girl. "Unless that, there, is your newest tool, of course."

"Don't be so presumptuous, boy." The elder replied, with a little more venom than was expected. "My puppets you shall see when the time is right. You should be a little more patient with your work, you know."

"My work, old hag?" asked the Akatsuki member. "Believe me when I say, that I have _always_ been particular with my time." The man's glare was, at that point in time, supplemented by a feral growl:

"Enough of this talk, old elder." He told her. "I have people to see, and places to be." He gestured to the girl as a long-nailed, clawed hand reached out from the Akatsuki cloak, and pulled it away.

"With that little girl you have with you, and whatever puppets you may _think_ you can use against me and my collection.

"Come get some."

* * *

And that ends this installment of "The Prince of Rain."

Hmm, it seems that nothing much seems to be happening here; sorry about that, I've been feeling a little off these last few weeks, with the flood from last Saturday. (if there are any Filipinos out there) so, sorry if it seems slow. I promise to make it up on my next chapter.

Okay, I have a feeling that some of you would have been insulted by how I developed Kakashi's fight.

Now, I'll admit, I may not be a big fan of Kakashi, but I'm not bashing him either.

The aforementioned man's scene was just a little taste of reality; no matter how powerful you may be, you can still die from something as minor as a fracture, no flashy jutsu or chakra exhaustion required.

In truth, this development just came to me while I was choreographing the fight.

So, what do you think?

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster


	19. A Dead Man's Name

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, anyone who dares say that I he/she does… well, that's to his/her discretion.

* * *

Hello everyone, here is the arc one climax, mainly centered on Sakura's fight with Sasori.

**WARNING:**

Possible out of character alert to the characters involved in the said fight as I was doing this by ear, trying to make it flow as smoothly as possible.

Also, forewarning to Sasori fans, as you may find my alterations a little insulting to you, but I promise that it will be taken care of in the next chapter. (I hope)

* * *

Anyway, just to let you know, this chapter was a bitch to write, two weeks, and the longest I've ever put out, unfortunately, I don't think it can cover everything it was intended to. I ended up losing patience during the writing of the last few scenes.

**Review responses:**

Muses: a sound speculation, but there won't be much revealing about the puppet in his chapter as I intend to cover that in the future

Lord Grond: well, I am certainly glad to find your interest in the mysteries, but some of those will take a while to get to. But, with regard to what the prince did to the zombie brothers, well, you will get a teaser here, and a slight unraveling in the near future.

Cenright: you were right, it was REALLY hard to get done, nd I'm still not sure whether this piece was my best, albeit the fact that it was my longest; I certainly hope that you enjoy this week's update

shadow uzumaki: I'm fine here, thank you, just got flooded at school (waded home )

Dragon Soul Weaver: I argue with you not on that account, and I will have to think to resolve that.

Karibanu: Excellent, I'm glad that there are those who agree with me on that.

Gravenimage: I'll be honest with you here, Naruto will be having several women of interest (I have chosen majority of them already), and Sakura is one of them, but I'm at fifty-fifty with how things will be end up in the end.

JNottle: I don't blame you there, you are entitled to your opinion , I'm not sure how you will take it, but there will be (depending on how you look at it), several hints in this chap, at least, I think there are.

* * *

**ANNOUNCEMENT**:

Last order of business before we begin this chapter:

In light of Dragon Soul Weaver's statement, I have thought of changing the story tags once more, as it seems impossible to designate Naruto as the main character if we (the readers, rather) are stuck guessing who he is.

I propose changing the character tags to Sasuke and Sakura / Sakura only.

Please keep in mind that this is **NOT **a sasusaku story. They will be close friends, and that is all.

Please tell me what you think of this, yes?

* * *

Thank you, and let us now move on to our feature presentation.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

**Arc One Climax:**

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**A Dead Man's Name**

"_The third Kazekage is said, at least by the people in Suna, to be the most powerful kage they had ever had._

"_What do you think?_

"…

"_I see, so you think Sunagakure has grown too powerful, powerful enough to gain grandeur of our attentions?_

"…

"_Very well, the nuisance shall be seen to._

"_I'll be off then, kings."_

-Akasuna no Sasori

~TtT~

The red and orange sunset blazed as Deidara swerved to the side as a set of four snakes jetted past him.

He hissed, with a scowl, as he caught sight of a Konoha kunoichi jump out form the tree line; the snakes, apparently, came from her, if the beasts' connection to her right sleeve was any indication.

"And here I was, thinking that Sasori-no-Danna got the shorter end of the stick." He stated as he crouched down on the top of his white mount as several shuriken flew above him.

"Oh, that's all right," the purple-haired woman told him. "I'll take care of you;" she grinned at him as she took out a pair of kunai, and held the aforementioned weapons between the fingers of her right hand. "By the way, the name's Mitarashi Anko; mind tellin' me yours?"

"Deidara's the name." the blond stated, the scowl still plastered onto his face. "Any specific reason you're after me? You're not from the rescue team, are you?"

"Nah." The woman replied, absentmindedly tossing the kunai between her index and middle finger, catching the said object between the former appendage and her thumb. "I'm here with a kid from Ame, we were sent as backup."

"Ame, you say?" the Iwa missing-nin asked, his right eyebrow raised. "Anyone I might know?"

"You?" the female of the two passed the tip of her tongue over the edge of the second kunai, the one between the ring and pinky fingers of her right hand. "What would I know?" she chuckled softly. "I wouldn't know," she turned her head to one side, and looked to the Akatsuki member through the corner of her eye.

"Unless you know the Prince of Rain," the woman smirked"_do you_?"

The scowl that had, just recently, disappeared form the shinobi's face swiftly returned with the mention of the title. "So, he's here." He looked in the direction of Sunagakure. _Is that why the rescue team was able to get past the others?_ He turned his gaze back to the Konoha shinobi.

There was only one problem with what the blond Iwa-missing-nin did:

She was gone.

_What the-!?_

"Got you," he looked above him as he caught her finishing the seals for her jutsu:

"**Sen'eijashu!** (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)"

And what did the Iwa missing-nin do?

Deidara scowled.

~TtT~

"W-w-what is that!?" sputtered Haruno Sakura as she saw the gruesome sight of her foe:

It was a strange creature, really; one that was, most definitely, not human.

It stood there, hunched, and using both its hands, if one could call it that, and feet as means of achieving balance; upon its back was a spiked shell, of blood red wood and iron thorns, the metal, seemingly, gleaming in the darkness of the cave. Over the left shoulder, the shell extended, going over the aforementioned area, and, with overlapping wooden plates, moving down to cover the same side of the chest.

The left arm was another thing of note; with the upper part made entirely of overlapping steel plates that, either, gave the joins the freedom of movement or were bolted together; the said segment of the arm beginning with an extra set of protruding iron spikes that extended from the overlapping wooden plates that covered the half the chest. The lower segment was made of black ironwood; it was big and bulky, yet obviously smooth, if Sakura's eyes did not mistake her.

Although, the intimidating sight on the lower segment of the mentioned left arm were the, noticeably sharp, metal thorns that littered different places of the ironwood, going around the limb a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees; at the end of the arm, was the hand, which was made of the same black wood as the arm segment before it, and, at the hand, were four fingers, three at the end, and one in the place of the thumb, all four of the latter were made of metal spikes that were tapered downward to resemble the parts which roles they played; upon each of those said 'fingers,' along with the center of the back of the left hand, was the imprint of a Magatama in black dye

The right arm, meanwhile, was _entirely_ different:

At first glance, it was no different from a regular arm.

But that was it; if one were to journey a little farther down the stated arm, one would find the hand to be _very_ far from normal.

_After all,_ Sakura told herself, as she took note of her opponent's appearance. _It's not all the time that you find a __**human's **__lower arm to be fifty percent longer than its upper counterpart, nor will you find it to have teal daggers, in both length and sharpness, for fingernails._

The chest was nondescript, other than the presence of six Magatama, forming a circle, with the sharp points facing outward, located at the upper-right side.

The legs, though, were strange as well, for, rather than the usual two joints, one at the knee, and another at the ankle, it had three, one for each of the two knees, making the leg appear very similar to that of a dog's, and the third for the ankle, or, more specifically, the ankle of the two-toed hoof.

And, finally, was its tail, protruding out its rectum, and swaying with a wariness that made Sakura think that the appendage had a mind of its own.

"It's a puppet." The elder replied, still facing the combination of iron, wood, and preserved flesh that stood before them.

Sakura turned a questioning eye: "A puppet?"

Chiyo nodded. "Yes, a puppet." The old woman lowered her arms slightly. "Sasori is using a puppet that functions as his armor."

From his place, the puppet added, through the cloth that covered the lower half of its face: "Correct, granny." It turned to the teen: "You see, a puppeteer, despite skill level, is vulnerable while he continues to control his puppet, considering the fact that he or she is usually stationed behind it.

"This approach to the art overrides that weakness, allowing me to fight, without being the vulnerable because I am open to attacks."

"What he said is correct." The elder interjected. "This style allows for optimal offense and defense with its use.

"The _Armor Puppet_, if you will." She then raised her eyebrow as she continued to take in the sight of the inhuman toy: "I still wonder, though, Sasori: what are you using? I could have sworn you were using Hiruko when I first saw you, but it feels off, have you modified him?"

There was a deep chuckle. "I'm glad you noticed it, _granny_." The puppet replied. "I _have_ modified Hiruko, very much, in fact, as I am sure you have noticed."

"It doesn't even _look_ like it use to, child; how far have you gone?"

"_Very _far, hag." The puppet raised its head. "But, perhaps I'll just let you figure out the changes I implemented as we fight, all three of us."

Sakura entered her battle stance as she fingered a scroll that was inside her weapon's pouch. _Should is use it?_ The girl wondered. _It __**could **__help here, but_. She remembered the state Kankuro was in. _He uses poisons, that much I know. Every hit could be lethal._ She then turned to steal a glance at the elder. _But puppets use hidden weapons, don't they?_ "Chiyo-baa-sama," called the girl. "Is there anything I should know about the puppet's weapons?"

The old woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, Haruno-chan, but, as I said, the puppet has been modified too much for me to be able to still give you an accurate description of its abilities." The elder raised her arms once more, making the floating kunai shift slightly in the air. "However, I am still the more experienced fighter here."

"Don't be so presumptuous, old woman." -Stated the wooden creature in front of them. "I have seen _far_ worse than both of you could _ever_ imagine." The puppet's head was drawn back, as though it was inhaling; Sakura pulled her hand out of the weapon's pouch, and into her personal defensive stance. "Now, I think it's about time we stopped dallying." the Akatsuki member added.

"I have orders to comply with."

And the dark cloth that covered its face was ripped to shreds as a black, triangular blade flew out of the fanged, wooden mouth.

The pair of kunoichi immediately separated, allowing the little weapon to fly between them as the sharp object began to glow white with multiple seals.

_It's going to explode._ The genin thought; she looked to the ground before her: it was composed of large, irregularly-shaped, stone slabs, each roughly three to four square meters in area. _I could use that._ She added, drawing her right fist back for a punch. She then looked to the older woman. _Will she be alright? I wonder. _It was at that time that the younger of the two females noticed the older person pulling out a pair of scrolls from the inside of her sleeves,

_I guess she will be._

She brought the fist down, and the blade exploded.

~TtT~

There was no such thing as art in monotony, at least that was true for Deidara of Iwa; in fact, it was one of the many reasons that he fiercely disagreed with his senior with regards to the best possible approach to art; one believed the flow should be changing and unending, while the other believed in the beauty of stillness ant eternality.

_Yeah; which happens to be why I'm getting so damn irritated with this bitch and her antics!_

He brought his bird into a tight, counterclockwise, sideways roll as he dodged another fireball that was sent his way, and he brought the bird to a quick assent as he evaded a following wave of explosive kunai.

_It's been like this for the past quarter hour. _He snarled, releasing a flock of white birds that flew at Anko. _No matter how much I seem to vary my attacks, she __**still**__ seems to manage to get me into pulling this maneuver._ His eyes clouded over as he thought: _But for what purpose? She's just seems to be wasting chakra and weapons considering how many waves of fire jutsu she has already sent, I doubt she will last much longer._

The Iwa shinobi's thoughts circled around a specific shape, grinning wildly as he remembered the last time he made use of that bomb type.

_And, when her patience breaks and she goes in for the kill, I'll be ready, yeah._

~TtT~

Smoke swept through the void of the cave, scattering the broken shards of rock, and dust with the force of the blast. The collection of debris continued to swirl as the puppet master watched in anticipation, the hairs upon his tools head swaying with the force of the caged wind.

Sasori turned to his left, only far enough so that his gaze would fall to where the younger girl was situated earlier; he bent all his joints, crouching lower to the ground than before.

_They should not be dead yet, _The two main pieces of the mouth closed, allowing the inch-long fangs to overlap each other. _Not by a long shot._ He sensed movement in the heavy haze of dust. _Yes, _he thought. _They have made their move._

The puppet raised its left arm, and slammed the forward thorns into the blackened rock slab just as the latter object emerged from the smoke.

The spikes, along with the main hand, were buried to the wrist as a web of cracks began to spread from the center of the projectile; the latter shattered a second later, shortly followed by a shower of senbon coming from Sasori's left hand side.

A soft purple glow began to radiate from the six, jade, Magatama beads which was accompanied by a, more powerful, glare that resounded from the five symbols, in dye, of similar design that decorated the left arm.

And the effect?

The senbon made contact with a blue barrier that the moment the former was near enough, and the sharp needles bounced, harmlessly, right of the chakra-formed surface.

"Excellent timing, both of you," The puppet sounded, in a deep voice. "But that sort of offense will not be enough to break through to me." There was a pause as Sasori took in the sight of the smoke and dust beginning to clear.

"That was just my left arm, ladies, there is one more

"At the rate you are going, I wonder how you will fare against all my weapons."

"Don't be so arrogant, child." Chiyo argued from her place when the smoke had already fallen to the ground. "The fight has just begun."

Sasori's unseen eyes widened upon seeing the two puppets that stood before his grandmother; he remained motionless as he saw her flick her fingers, and the pair of wooden machines moved.

"Any particular reason you brought those two out, granny?" He called as his tail blocked the red-haired puppet's kunai whip made from bamboo pieces.

"What brought on the idea of using the puppets I modeled after my parents against me?"

"Nothing, really." replied the old woman nonchalantly. "I just though you might have wanted to see you parents one more time; it was fitting end to your treachery."

"I presume you used the puppets to block the explosion, then?" queried the puppet master, ignoring his grandmother's insult, as the beast-like legs of Hiruko moved the bulky body to Sasori's left side, subsequently dodging the second stone slab that came from the stationary Haruno. "I already know how the girl, here, did it: she used the stone slab as a shield." He turned to the aforementioned female. "You possess some interesting abilities, girl. Do you, by any chance, know of Tsunade of the Sannin?" He asked as he raised his left hand to block the oncoming sword strike from the, apparently female, brown-haired puppet. The strength of the impact caused Hiruko's used arm to shake and its two-toed hooves to sink into the ground.

"She is my sensei," The questioned girl replied with narrowed eyes. "But would you also be kind enough to tell me why you are asking?"

There was a deep chuckle. "Oh, I have my reasons." The scorpion tail batted the kunai whip away and went to strike the female puppet, with the last, of the three, jumping back just as the wooden weapon buried itself two feet into the ground. "But, better yet," the puppet looked Sakura in the eye, the feeling deep insecurity overtook her as she felt the deep set, eyes burrow into her very soul.

"You are a Haruno, yes? I recall the old hag calling you that earlier."

Sakura felt a scowl compliment her, already present, narrowed eyes: "So what if is am?"

The puppet drew its arms close, bringing its chest to contact with the ground. "Call it curiosity," He replied; the scorpion's tail was up in the air now, waving frantically, much like an excited dog.

"But it's just that I had a friend who once mentioned a certain Haruno Sakura, last time we met."

~TtT~

Hatake Kakashi smirked when he saw that the clone did not mirror his movements, but rather, the latter looked to him with narrowed eyes and began preparing to use the Raikiri.

_It appears that they can't do __**everything**_. He smirked as he sensed the familiar chakra nearing. _Apparently, despite the fact that they hold our knowledge, they do not possess our personalities._

_Which means…_

From up above, in the trees of the grove, came the cry:

"**Katon: Karyuu Endan! **(Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)"

_They have trouble telling a bluff when it involves teamwork from genuine desparation._ Kakashi collapsed unto his rear as he watched his clone be consumed by the steady stream of flames that came from a black-skinned humanoid creature.

The Hatake chuckled as he lied down to take a nap:

_I'll have to thank Sasuke later._

~TtT~

The Akatsuki member's last statement caused great alarm; to the point that time seemed to stop for all the people, living or otherwise, inside the room.

_What? _Sakura couldn't help but think. _Had I known anyone that might have mentioned me to him?_ "This friend of yours," She began, getting ready for any surprises he might have for her. "You wouldn't mind telling me his, or her, name, now would you?"

This question was replied with another chuckle from the inhuman creature that crouched before her. "Actually, I do." The tail, this time, stopped moving as it pointed to the back, slightly bent with the force of gravity. "All things considered, this person's name is irrelevant to this battle." The puppet pushed against the ground, initiating its body's slow ascent. "Don't you think?"

It stood there, standing on its two feet towering above both kunoichi at twice Sakura's height, its tail swinging harmonically, from side to side, behind it.

"You're hiding it, aren't you, Sasori?" The eldest of the three interjected; she turned to Sakura: "He's trying to hide the person's identity." The speaker then turned back to face her grandson. "He usually doesn't voice a thing's pointlessness unless he doesn't want you to so snooping about it; he would usually ignore the question if he really did find it as such."

"I'm impressed you still know me so well, granny Chiyo." stated the puppet nonchalantly, tilting its wooden head to one side, no bitterness lacing his voice for the first time since the fight started. "Alright then, girl." he told Sakura. "Since my grandmother was able to point that out, how about I give you a little leeway?"

The jade beads glowed purple once more as the kanji for the number 'three' flashed in a red light at the center of the six Magatama; the puppet opened the larger of the two mouthpieces, a scroll appearing between the teeth.

"Defeat this puppet, in _any_ way you can, and I'll tell you whatever it is you wish."

"Alright, then." Sakura voiced, her tone filled with determination. "I'll take you up on that."

The puppet scoffed. "Very well then, girl, show me what the two of you are capable of." The six beads began to glow again.

"But, before we begin," interjected the Akatsuki member, taking both kunoichi's attention away from the six, now purple Magatama. "Allow me to tell you a little bit about the puppet you are about to face:

"He was, probably, one of the most difficult puppets to acquire; considering how much of a fight he put up."

The comment raised an eyebrow from the pink-haired-genin. "Put up a fight? What are you talking about?"

"He's talking about the puppet," it was Chiyo that gave the girl the latter's reply. "Or, rather, the puppet when it was alive."

Sakura's eyebrows scrunched together: "But I though puppets were assembled," she turned her attention back to the seals on the scroll, watching as the seals, themselves, began to glow a shade of sky blue as the beads' purple glow grew brighter. "Are you implying that-?"

"Yes." The puppet master, this time, answered. "This puppet, the one you are about to face, was once human.

"It's a practice of mine: after killing off my opponents, I make it a habit to turn them into human puppets, ones that are, still, capable of using _any_ and _all_ jutsu that they may have been capable of doing during their mortal lives."

Sakura's eyes widened at the revelation. _So that thing was human._ The thought sunk in as she took a step back; it was then, nearly a minute after, that her eyes narrowed while she clenched her fists; she directed her gaze to the puppet's face: _Th-th-this man,_ she shook her head. _No, this monster… - to use the dead as tools. _Their eyes met, the puppet's fake brown and her green jade gazes clashed. "I _will_ beat you," she told the Akatsuki member, pointing her finger at the latter. "If not for the information, then for the retribution of those whose rests' you have defiled." She inwardly smirked. _Sasuke __**was**__ right, I __**am**__ starting to sound like Naruto._ She felt that she just _had _to grin: "_Believe It._"

"Hah," the puppet scoffed once more. "Save your speeches for when you actually _beat_ my puppet into the stone, _little girl._" The blue glow from the sealing scroll brightened as the kanji that was drawn inside the ink circle, '_Three_' glowed red, similar to the same symbol that was on Hiruko's chest. "**Kugutsu Kuchiyose: Sandaime Kazekage. **(Puppet Summoning: The Third Kazekage)"

The very words of the summoning were enough to bring fear into the hearts of the other two people present; Sakura nearly snapped her neck as she turned to Chiyo, the former's eyebrows raised.

_A kage?_ Sakura thought, her mind racing with the prospect of fighting a kage, despite the fact that it was a puppet. "Chiyo-baa-sama," she called. "Are we really going to fight a kage?"

"Are you aware of how stupid it is to ask that question, Haruno Sakura?" the Akatsuki member voiced as the smoke and dust erupted from the scroll. "How, by the nine, would the old woman know whether I'm lying or not? She doesn't know if I even killed the third Kazekage in the first place." The puppet raised its right arm, waving the long nails into the mist in order to drive the petulant mixture away.

"Here is the proof that will wash away your doubt." The puppet master's deep voice resounded through the deep cavern: "Behold, the Third Kazekage!" the glow coming from the Magatama beads concentrated into blue chakra strings, the aforementioned strings connecting to the puppet's joints.

Chiyo drew a sharp gasp, involuntary as it was. "It is him!" she stated, drinking in the sight of the diseased kage with widened eyes:

Blue, spiky, hair adorned the dead man's head, falling until the base of the back of its neck, and touching the fluffy, fur lining of its brown, fur, ankle-length, cloak.

The elder turned an evil eye to her grandson. "So, it was _you_ who kidnapped the third Kazekage all those years ago."

"Aye, granny," The largest of the puppets stated. "I won't deny that; it was I who relieved Suna of its third kage nearly two decades ago." The beads pulsed, sending an invisible command through the strings that bound the kage puppet to its hidden master. Hiruko's face turned to stare the back of the kage's head:

"Begin."

~TtT~

"Oi," called a, slightly, ticked off Sasuke as he stared down his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, wake up, my clone's still out there, and I could use your help with taking it out."

The said sensei, either, ignored him, or truly was asleep.

"You've got to be kidding me." The Uchiha stated, his voice perfectly flat. "Our first mission to help another shinobi village and the guy falls asleep."

The teen decided to try shaking the unconscious teacher awake:

"Oi, sensei, if you stay asleep, you could enter a coma if that broken ankle of yours keeps bleeding." He continued to call at his teacher as the former increased the intensity of his shaking with each statement: "Sensei!" the Uchiha heir shouted. "Either you get up, or I'll get Hokage-sama to fire you!"

"You can do that?" stated a novel voice, coming from deeper in the forest. "I though the term was _Court Martial_, not fire."

Sasuke swiftly turned to source of the sound, drawing his kunai, and activating his Sharingan in the process.

-only to find the sight of one of the Storm Guards that had helped them cheerfully waving to him.

~TtT~

The puppets were magnificent, that much, Sakura was sure of:

It began simply enough, with the drawing, and clashing, of basic weapons; Father, as she dubbed the red-haired puppet, lost its kunai whip in the initial clash with the giant metal blades that appeared from under the Kazekage's sleeve. This was followed by Mother, as she called the female-based puppet, attempting to pierce the third's heart area, but was blocked by the right arm as the latter made a mid-air spin.

And that led her to where she was now, staring down the third Kazekage, the weapons the three wooden constructs possessed, reduced to iron shavings or shattered shards.

"Is this all?" queried the towering puppet master, observing the destruction that lay before him. "I expected you to have defeated the third by now, severely disappointing on your part." The beast sighed as another purple pulse ran through the blue of the chakra strings. "Let us take this up another notch, then."

The Kazekage reached for its coat, beginning to unlatch the buttons, and pulling its two arms from the sleeves; the article of clothing fell to its waist.

"I'm sure you remember what made the third such a noticeable figure," the Akatsuki member asked his relative. "Don you, granny?"

The kage puppet, with its left hand, reached to pull open a movable plate, revealing to the world a large expanse of black sand as the last spread out from the hole and into the air around them.

"His bloodline limit:" the old woman said. "The Iron Sand." She added as the Kazekage opened its mouth to release more sand through there.

"Aye," the Akatsuki member replied. "The third Kazekage possessed the ability of magnetic control; he could control most metals within a certain range; I heard, from others, at least, that this sand technique was derived from his studies of the Shukaku's host that lived at the time." Hiruko's head tilted. "It's a nice ability, don't you think?"

The iron sand, now floating in the air, and blocking out the fading sunlight coming in from the skylight Deidara had created, stilled as the Kazekage made a minor wave with its right hand.

"How about I show you how much of the third's ability I have mastered." Sasori added as the floating iron compressed into a large, black ball.

Both kunoichi's eyes widened as they saw the projectile.

"I see that you are aware of what I intend to do with this." The puppet master stated through the gruff voice coming from Hiruko's open maws. "But I won't start yet." The monster of a tool raised its right hand, making a slight wave to the side as the appendage reached shoulder level. "I have another detail to add."

The large ball, which was now thirty meters in diameter, shuddered as long thorns began to rise from the former's surface, growing until the sharp objects were each a meter in length.

"There," Sasori interjected. "That appears _much_ better than earlier."

And the ball began to spin, the fearful sight of the spiraling weapon, and the sound of screeching steal, making Sakura take several unconscious steps back.

The aforementioned pink-haired girl's look turned serious as she placed her hand inside her weapon's pouch, fingering a certain scroll. _The third Kazekage, Sasori-san, more specifically, prefers to use physical attacks, despite the fact that his puppets are doing all the work. Perhaps…_ she shook her head and scowled as she remembered _why_ she couldn't use her weapon. _The third Kazekage makes use of magnetic fields; _her hand gripped the scroll in slight irritation. _I can't use the gifts from Tsunade-sensei while that puppet is still here; I'll need to find a way of getting rid of it._

The teen kept her gaze fixated on the dead man as iron ball began to spin faster, to such a point that the air swept by the said movement was turning into a gentle breeze.

Sakura removed her hand from the pouch on her belt, and entered her usual battle stance while Chiyo brought Mother close to the latter, and Father remained between the two, living, females.

Sasori spoke:

"Now, where were we?"

"Oh, I know!" A new, slightly sarcastic, voice said, the owner of which was standing right besides the opening in the ceiling. "I was about to, along with the others here, beat you into a pile of wood shavings with my new puppet."

All three participants in the fight, and, strangely, along with the third Kazekage, looked to the aforementioned hole to see Kankuro, the last of which was holding onto a coffin that was carved from black ironwood.

"I'm sure you remember me, Sasori-sama." Kankuro's voice was cheerful as the male teen gave a wave; he opened the sarcophagus, revealing a figure that was dressed in a dark, purple coat, with a red, bat-wing-like collar, golden thorns adorning the tips, and a navy-blue hood that covered the head.

The Suna genin gestured his thumb to the new puppet. "His name's Akuma, he arrived from Ame sometime sunset, today," Kankuro grinned:

"And I think it's time for that rematch of ours."

"I see," The deep, menacing voice intoned. "You have an interesting proposition, boy." Hiruko made another gesture with its clawed hand, causing the orb of iron spikes to still in mid-air. "I think I shall take you up on that offer, Sabaku no Kankuro."

This statements was shortly followed by the scattering of the thorns

~TtT~

_Here we go again._ Anko told herself as Deidara made another ascent. "But, how about this time," she said out loud. "We add a little color."

Deidara raised his visible eyebrow upon hearing the woman's statement, looking to her as though expecting something.

"And what color might you be expecting, yeah?" the Iwa-shinobi told her sarcastically. "Brown, perhaps?"

"No," the Akatsuki member's eyes widened as he the Anko he was looking at dissolved into mud; he looked up to see a woman diving towards him, forming hand seals as she did so: "Red would do nicely." She opened her palms, the appendages facing her opponent: "The color of your blood."

Deidara grinned, opening his remaining hand to reveal a white, winged snake:

"Go' ya', yeah?" he chuckled as the clay beast bit down on Anko's hands, the latter's fangs going deep into the last's body, eliciting a hiss of pain from the female ninja. "You're choice of creating a cycle was a bad move to use against me." The blond missing-nin told her. "I figured it out, quite early in the game, that you would make a variation _eventually_. Most likely when you were almost out of chakra."

He sneered down at the falling female, placing his hands into the explosion trigger seal: "I mean really, what made you think that-."

Deidara's tirade then was brought to an abrupt halt when a black wave of crescent-shaped chakra cut through the white snake, the energy the clay animal possessed following the black moon as the projectile passed onward.

"Huh?" Deidara couldn't help but ask while he followed the movements of the crescent wave. "What the fu-!"

He was, once more, cut of as two more waves of chakra, from below him this time, cut through both wings of his mount, and he fell to the ground. This was accompanied by an unnatural sideward draft, one strong enough to draw his attention back to the, supposedly, also falling kunoichi.

"Hello, Deidara of Iwa." a younger blond stated, his short, spiky hair, along with the long train of his vest, swaying with the forces of the wind; he was holding onto Anko, cradling the woman in his arms as the connected pair made their own descent toward the ground below. "I'm sure you recognize me, yes?"

The missing-nin's eyes widened as the recognition hit him like a ton of bricks.

The Akatsuki member scowled:

"The Prince of Rain," the Akatsuki explosive specialist said. "So she _was_ telling the truth about your appearance here" he reached into his clay pouch, the strange mouth in his right hand consuming vast amounts of clay. "I was wondering how the rescue team got past four of our members so easily." he closed his unseen fist as the insides of the mouth began to lace the clay with chakra.

"But that's not a problem, yeah." Deidara grinned wildly at the prince. "'Cause I'll take care of you before the rest of us have to."

The missing-nin spread his arms out wide, allowing his cloak to catch as much air as possible, and jumping into the air as his dismembered mount, which still held the Godaime Kazekage, impacted with the ground.

Deidara raised his gaze, despite the fact that he kept his countenance downcast, and opened his palm while tossing its unseen contents toward the prince, the latter of which, who was still holding unto the Konoha kunoichi, was falling at a far faster rate than the other, who recognized the collective of seven winged snakes that opened their maws to accept what parts of his body they could receive.

"Forgive me, if I may seem rude," the prince voiced as he made a wave, obviously signaling to someone in the ground below. "But I cannot grant you the satisfaction of having my blood upon your hands," he shook his head. "Not today, Deidara of Iwa."

And then came the skyward barrage of blue, bandaged, spears.

~TtT~

The youngest of the people in the room, Haruno Sakura, raised both her hands high, and brought them down on one of the hexagonal slabs that lay in front of her, causing the heavy stone pieces to flip into the air, and, effectively, protecting her from what iron spikes that had been expected to turn her into shredded paper.

_This is getting redundant._ She pointed out with ah scowl. _He sends a multitude of weapons, and I block him with one of the stone slabs._ She turned to look at Chiyo, the former trying to see past the rising dust that was brought about by the projectiles as the iron pieces hit the ground: _I wonder how she dealt with this._

Unfortunately for the teen, her attempt at seeing the state of the elder was stopped short by the sudden sound of collapsing rock that reached her ears.

She looked up and took in the sight of the flying thorns piercing through the caves walls and ceiling, letting gravity have its way with the furniture-sized fragments.

_You've got to be kidding me!_ She groaned before she made a sharp turn to her right, facing the stone slab she brought up earlier, and drove her right fist, nearly, a foot deep into the de facto barrier, and, with all her might, threw it into the air above her.

Sakura looked around her. _There has got to be __**some**__ place that I can take cover under._

She looked down, or, more specifically, into the hole that was left by the dislodging of the hexagonal stone.

And Haruno Sakura suddenly found herself grinning like a certain blonde that she remembered.

~TtT~

Kankuro swung his left arm, the glowing, blue chakra strings flashing with energy as he did so; the genin puppeteer furrowed both eyebrows as his puppet of choice left its coffin to hang in front of the latter's master.

_I didn't think that I would have to use it this soon. _He, with his right hand, snapped his fingers and the sarcophagus swung shut; this movement was accompanied by the shifting of the fingers in his left hand, and was followed by the swinging of the coffin unto his back.

Akuma hung, limply, in the air, as though gazing at the sight of the spikes as the iron rods flew towards them. The newest toy to join the battle partially opened its cloak in order to allow its left arm to join the other tools in the light of the setting sun.

The palm opened as the hand was pointed downwards, and diagonally facing the coming horde of iron sand.

Kankuro's left pinky twitched while his right hand created a new chakra connection to the remaining untouched joints, the slight movement was followed by the signature clinking of wooden parts as four plates, from Akuma's left forearm, moved to stand at right angle with the base.

Kankuro bent his knees and spread his legs, entering a slight crouch.

_Alright then, _he told himself. _Here we go._

And the spikes, piercing through the stone he stood on, came.

The male genin couldn't help but grin triumphantly as the sight of dispersing iron sand met his gaze when the Akatsuki member's projectiles made contact with his wide-ranged chakra shield; both he, and his puppet, continued to defend against the second onslaught of iron weaponry as the pair descended to the ground. He turned his gaze to Sasori, the former looking through the haze of blurring black, and reveling in the pride he felt for his newest tool.

"What do you think, Sasori-sama?" Kankuro called over as his feet touched the ground. "Is the puppet good?"

This said, Kankuro made another flick of his fingers as the elbow joint of the puppet's left arm, the one possessing the chakra shield, released an amount of smoke and the forearm, and hand by extension, flew forward.

Hiruko stood its ground, as though the rider within expected nothing to occur.

"Don't be foolish, boy," Sasori said as the truncated appendage reached halfway through the distance between Sasori and the younger puppeteer. "You know that the iron sand won't let your puppet move."

The counter that the puppet master received was not one he had expected:

Kankuro's prideful grin grew impossibly wider.

"What the-!?"

He, unfortunately, was not able to finish what he said as the arm, which was now directly in front of the armor puppet's face, exploded.

~TtT~

Sakura looked on, blinking several times as she gazed at the headless form of Hiruko when the smoke and dirt from the explosion cleared up.

It was strange, though, as both, the Kazekage puppet, and the, now incomplete, controller remained standing even after a full minute of staring had passed.

"Hmm," echoed a voice from inside the armor puppet. "Interesting." the plates that covered the left side of Hiruko's chest began to, very slowly, sliding into one another, hissing as they moved, and clicked as the pieces locked into place. "You knew that the iron sand would enter the joints of you puppet, and begin to spread into the other parts of the body, so you rid yourself of the infected joint before it got too far.

"You even used the discarded part to you advantage to boot." The main chest swung on a rotating joint located under the spiked shell on the right side, opening like a door to reveal the darken inside.

An arm reached out, pulling forth a teenage body from the, seemingly, endless void that was Hiruko's torso, a child was dressed in an Akatsuki cloak.

He ran his hands through his red hair, and smiled politely at the other male in the remnants of the, now nonexistent, cavern; a light jingle was heard coming from the little black Magatama-shaped bell that hung from a dark chain, the latter of the two was hung from his left ear.

"I will enjoy taking that puppet from you cold, dead hands."

_Is that him?_ Sakura asked herself as she looked at the teen. _He looks rather young for someone who knew the third Kazekage from twenty years ago._

She turned to the elder: "Chiyo-baa-sama, is he-?"

"You haven't aged a day," the old woman cut her off, the former's wrinkled eyes as wide as dinner plates.

This expression was, shortly afterward, replaced by narrowed eyes, and dubious looks: "Or is it that you have done something to yourself that has turned you ageless," her old lips curled into a definite frown. "Turning yourself into a human puppet, perhaps?"

The male child smirked at his grandmother.

"Sharp as always, granny Chiyo." He stood straight, facing the person he was speaking to, with his hands inside his sleeves and his arms in front of his chest. "But I'm surprised that your reaction did not go any farther." He removed his right hand from the left sleeve, and began to rub his chin, the bell jingling with the movement. "I had been hoping for a better reaction from you."

"Somehow," she told him. "It didn't surprise me, you had gone so far with you other pieces of work already, it was only a matter of time before you made the last leap."

Sasori nodded as he brought his right hand back into hiding under its opposite sleeve.

"True, true," he turned to look at his three opponents. "But how about we go back to where we were, yes?" he asked them, a polite smile gracing his teenage face.

"Uh, about that." Kankuro voiced, bringing to him the attention of the others in the vicinity. "Mind my asking you a question before we begin?"

The Akatsuki member unknowingly tilted his head in curiosity: "Oh? And what is that?"

The male genin grinned at his predecessor as a puppeteer: "Ever occur to you that, despite the fact that we," he gestured to Sakura and he. "-are just genin, we might be able to beat you?"

The red-head's head tilted to the other side, making the movement appear that he was a metronome. "Again, what made you say that?" he queried: "you can't use, neither your puppets nor your weapons," he then gestured to the Haruno. "And she is useless as long as she can't get close."

Kankuro nodded: "I know," his tone was cheerful, almost to the point that Sasori found it suspicious.

It was, at this time, that Sasori's eyes widened, as he drew forth a kunai when he brought out his right hand, and threw it to the teenaged girl.

The blade flew, ever so slowly, toward its intended target, Chiyo turning her neck, at an almost dangerous speed, to gaze at the girl, who, at the sight of the oncoming projectile, gazed fearfully on.

_A reaction._ Sasori observed; _then, perhaps it is something else. _He looked to Kankuro, who was the farthest from the only Konoha ninja present, and Sasori's frustration, despite the fact that it was not shown, grew as he saw that the boy's wide grin remained intact. _What is this boy getting at, I wonder._ He returned his gaze to the fearful Haruno, who was now reaching into her kunai pouch to retrieve a kunai as the object that the missing-nin had sent entered the last five feet.

_Not fast enough, child._ He though with slight disdain. _Severely disappointing, I had expected you to win, yet you prove the Third King wro-._

His train of though was cut short as he noticed a certain fact:

Now, it should be noted, that, upon the kunai's intrusion on Sakura's five-foot space, several things occurred in fast succession:

First: the Scorpion of the Red Sand felt a tiny chakra fluctuation from the ground, one that lasted for a very short second, and was too small to be given any worthwhile attention.

Second: the kunai, now making contact with its intended target, simply passed through the girl's forehead, and through the back of her shoulder-length pink hair.

Third: the large, hexagonal, stone slab, which the third Kazekage had been standing on, suddenly flipped over, taking the puppet from human view.

Fourth: the aforementioned hexagonal piece of stone shattered upward, pieces of the said kage puppet accompanying it, as a certain Haruno Sakura burst through the stone floor.

The Akatsuki member could only look in horror as wooden shards of the third Kazekage, one of his most prized puppets, fell to the ground around the genin, who, at this point in time, was glaring at him through her jade-green eyes.

"I don't need any weapons to kill you, you wooden traitor," She said. "My knuckles will do."

He stared at her, as though trying to discern the strength of her resolve.

"Have you grown to overestimate yourself _that_ much, grandchild?" Sasori turned to meet his grandmother's eyes. "Or is it that you have used your puppets so much that you have forgotten the first three jutsu that you learned after I taught you how to use puppets?"

There was a short bout of silence after that, neither grandparent nor grandchild broke each other's gaze, each taking in the sight that they beheld: Chiyo seeing Sasori's slight interest toward the current situation, and the younger of the two taking notice of his grandmother's resignation and determination to defeat him.

_So the time __**has**__ come, then._ Sasori closed his eyes, taking a little time to think. _It has all gone as intended; perhaps it __**is**__ time that I ended this._ He turned his gaze to the fading, purple twilight as the bell rung softly once more. _This has taken enough time as it has._

He sighed.

"You still lack the understanding of my actions, granny." He told her, leading to the widening of the old kunoichi's eyes. Sasori's look transformed, no longer contemplative. "But that doesn't matter now." Not taking his determined eyes off his grandmother, he began, with his right hand, to unbutton his Akatsuki cloak. "What matters is that we, the four of us here, finish what we have started,"

The coat was thrown to the ground and Sasori took out a broken oni mask, one which lacked the upper left fourth:

"For you already know how much I hate to waste my time."

And so the last round with Akasuna no Sasori begun.

~TtT~

The prince's legs impacted unto the soil, the force from the fifty foot high drop driving his feet a quarter foot into the ground in the process.

"You are more resilient than you are credited for in the bingo books, Deidara." He informed the missing-nin who slowly drifted to the earth while hanging from a parachute of clay. "It's almost a pity that you had to be in the Akatsuki, though." He added with mock regret.

"Oh, don't give me that crap, yeah." The older blond told the younger. "It's not that I had anything better to do with my time, anyway." The Akatsuki member touched down, and entered a fighting stance, with his right arm partially folded in front of him while the clay object it had summoned from the aforementioned hand was discarded like waste.

The prince sent the man knowing smirk, and then, after leaning Anko against one of the many trees that surrounded them, turned to regard the other shinobi:

"You know," the royal began: "For all you are aware of, there could still be others waiting out there to ambush you," he raised a golden eyebrow at the elder blond: "Are you sure you want to go on with this?"

"Comparing you two what ever choices I might have to face by running," the Iwa shinobi replied, showing the prince on of the former's fanatical grins. "I'll take my chances with a fellow murderer, and artist, such as you."

The royal's raised eyebrow was then accompanied by a slight grin: "Ah? So you are willing to place me on the same boat as yourself, Deidara-san?" the prince crossed his arms. "Would you be willing to elaborate on what grounds you declare me as such?"

The older of the two blonds shook his head: "Not now, Prince-sama, perhaps when we meet next." Deidara's right hand opened, revealing a new clay sculpture:

"But we still have a fight to finish, and I would rather be able to get to my pre-destined destination on time."

The Ame shinobi nodded: "I see," he then went through several hand seals, stopping after he had completed the intended symbols. "How about I start, then?

"_**Katon: Mabushiihadou**_**. **(Fire Style: Radiant Surge)"

~TtT~

Sakura broke her dash in favor of leaning back as Hiruko's rotating, spiked, left arm swung harmlessly above her, and making contact with one of the stone spires that survived the cave's fall.

She continued her decelerating skid until she was a mere two feet from the headless puppet, which was still slightly out of balance from swinging its heavy left arm, with an iron cable, to attack the Haruno from a distance.

Taking the opening, the teenager brought her fist up for an uppercut to the stomach, breaking through the wood as a result.

She felt a small grin come to her lips as she felt the wood give way to her fist; this was quickly followed by a swift withdrawal from the immediate area as Hiruko's right hand positioned itself above her head and shot out a burst of fire from its palm.

She recalled the start of the engagement when Sasori released a group of one hundred puppets, and engaged Chiyo and Kankuro in combat, both of which utilizing their own weapons: Chiyo summoning a set of ten puppets, using them alongside mother and father, and Kankuro using his Akuma.

Sakura, meanwhile, who had found herself isolated, was engaged in direct combat, both, the headless armor puppet, and the multitasking Sasori.

"Impressive, girl." The human puppet called through his snarling mask, his voice slightly muffled by the wood. "Are you sure you're a genin?"

"That question is irrelevant to this battle." Sakura replied sharply, parrying a claw strike from Hiruko. "Don't you think?"

The strongest human puppet scoffed, albeit inwardly. "You still remember the agreement we made?" he queried as he jumped to the side to dodge another one of the boulders that Sakura threw at him. "That is getting old."

Oddly, she responded:

"I know." She told him bluntly as she sent a heel kick to Hiruko's, already battered, torso, effectively breaking the abominable puppet in half, then driving her opposite elbow into the puppet's collar area, and, with her free hand, delivered a swift, yet fatal, arm thrust into the hole her elbow left, releasing the stored chakra, and, consequently, forcing wooden toy to explode.

Sakura remained steady, taking in the glorious sight of falling shrapnel and scrap iron; the teen began to flex some of her muscles, loosening some of her sorer joints as she turned her gaze to the Akatsuki puppet master.

As she did so, though, she found herself looking at Hiruko's left shoulder plate, her eyes wide as she recognized the symbol that had been engraved upon the steel as it glowed softly under the moonlight:

She picked up the interesting metal shard, moving in such a painfully slow manner that it struck Sasori that she had been doing it for dramatic effect; he just kept still, his main body's attention centered on the pink-haired girl.

Her eyes then narrowed as she turned to Sasori after she confirmed her suspicions: "I hope you can answer my questions now."

The masked puppet-man met her unwavering green glare, his gaze blank: "Very well, then, child." The missing-nin told her with great calm. "It amuses me greatly that you would go so far for this interrogation of yours." He continued as the two other puppeteers continued to lay waste to the one hundred puppets, most of the last now lay on the stone plain around them, nothing more than splintered wood and frayed leather.

"What do you want to know?"

Sakura didn't let the glare she had on the Akatsuki member up.

"Alright then." She began. "How about we start with the identity of this friend of yours?"

She then gestured to the metal piece that lay in her hands, the iron still shining under the light of the full moon: "Then maybe you could tell me how you're connected to the hidden Rain."

The puppet master chuckled: "Well now, right to business I see,

"Alright, I think I'll answer your first question, then." He stared at her, or, rather, they both stared at each other, Sakura's eyes daring the Sasori's reddish-brown gaze to tell her what she wanted to know.

"The child's name was Uzumaki Naruto."

~TtT~

"What?" Sakura, her voice far from level, asked. "Are you saying that it was a kid named Uzumaki Naruto that told you about me?"

The masked puppet nodded, its single, visible, red eye staring down at her.

"Don's give me that bullshit."

The red-haired machine tilted its head to one side: "What?"

"I said, don't tell me that." She answered again, her voice beginning to lower with each word. "He couldn't have been the one to tell you that." She shook her head.

"He's dead."

The puppet master's eyes widened significantly at the revelation.

Sakura continued: "He couldn't have been the one to tell you that." She suddenly grabbed hold of her arms, and started as the rest of her body began to tremble. "No, it couldn't have been." She was speaking in, almost, inaudible whispers. "He died three years ago, disappeared in the invasion." the pink-haired girl could feel her knees shaking, but she managed to keep herself standing somehow. "He was gone for three months, and we _still_ couldn't find him. We-."

"So that's it?" Sasori asked with a perfectly flat tone; the teenage girl snapped her head to meet his uncovered eye as he added: "He disappeared, and you already think he's dead?"

He could visible see her tense at his statement, biting her lower lip while regaining the strength of her legs and sending him a sharp glare. "What do you know?" she swung her arm to the side, placing her other hand upon her chest: "He was gone for three _years_! _Anyone_ would assume that he was dead," the palm on her chest tightened into a clenched fist before she spoke again: "Hell, we couldn't even find a body!"

There was solemnity when the others, who had now ended the last of the one hundred human puppets, heard her; they all looked on, taking interest on the conversation between the Akatsuki puppeteer and the Konoha kunoichi.

"But if there wasn't any body, how could you still be sure that he was really dead?" Sasori pointed out plainly. "Not all people that you cannot find are dead, all the more if the person who you can't find is, or, rather, was, a shinobi." The puppet master removed his attention from the girl as he made one sweep of the surrounding wreckage. _I'm out of puppets,_ he smirked to himself. _It seems that things have gone exactly as planned, though,_ he returned his glance to the female genin: _But there is still one more thing to take care of:_ "For all we know, he could be missing-nin right now, working for Akatsuki, even, helping us destroy Konoha in the future." He raised a hand, wringing it, as though to make a point, "I never _did_ mention where I met him, after all"

The girl's reaction was immediate: her soft skin paled greatly as her arms dropped to her sides. _No…_ she thought, no longer minding what was happening around her.

Which also meant that she failed to notice her opponents incoming attack with the many blades that extended from wooden arms from his back.

"You are _far_ too emotional for this kind of work, girl." The puppet-man derided as the blades drew closer to Sakura's graceful throat, the girl no longer moving to dodge it. "But do not worry; you won't have to deal with that sort of problem anymo-!"

The blade froze, no longer being willed by its master as the puppet's heart piece was impaled upon two kunai, each one held by tow puppets, one with short, red hair, and another with long, brown hair; ruby rivers flowing down the human puppet's torso, reflecting the light of the full moon as it did so.

"I still didn't want to kill you, you know that, right, Sasori?" said the elder, Chiyo, as she brought down her chakra-laced arms. "But I would prefer that that girl lived."

_I know._ The red scorpion mentally replied, knowing that he, alone, would know the answer. _I do too._

~TtT~

"_I know that you miss him, Sakura, I miss him too, but I'm starting to think that it's time for us to stop._

"_I'll admit that he's strong. Hell, he's stronger than I am, but we just can't deny the facts._

"_It's been half a year since we lost him, he was declared missing __**months**__ ago._

"_I've lost the hope of finding him in this pointlessness, and as much as it pains me to say this to you:_

"_We just have to accept the fact that he may not be coming back."_

-Uchiha Sasuke to Haruno Sakura

* * *

This is, by far, the longest piece of work I have ever made; talk about tiring, not to mention the probable lack of quality as well.

So, what do you think? Was it worth the two weeks I spent to prepare it?

On another note: I will be wrapping things up in the next one, or two, chapters, but don't expect them to be as long as this one. (I have learned that I do not possess the patience to write a chapter that may take too much time on my part)

Also, you may have noticed the great many differences in Sasori's appearance, fighting style, or whatever during the duration of the fight; fear not for I have my reasons.

* * *

**QUESTIONS**:

This chapter mainly centered on the fight with Akasuna no Sasori, especially on Haruno; Sakura; what opinion do you have with her character difference (if any at all) that were showcased in the battle?

The battle itself; how did you find it? Was the description of any / all fight scenes to your satisfaction? Had I left any details out that may have confused you?

What about the new look on the puppets? What did you think?


	20. The Traitor’s Warning

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, if I did, Hinata would have died in Pein's invasion, and Sakura's confession would have made a lot more sense. (despite the fact that I expect it to this coming Friday.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of Voltaire's songs esp. "Goodnight Demon Slayer Goodnight"

* * *

**Note**: I will not bash Hinata in this story despite my hatred of her and what I have stated above; I will try my best to respect all the characters in canon albeit the fact that I may favor some over others.

Also, I wish to point out that there _might_ be some personalities that are different from cannon; take note that this is an alternate universe, and, due to the changes in experience for some of the characters, you can expect there to be some discrepancies in comparison with their original selves.

By the way, here are the lists of _confirmed_ pairings:

Shikaino

Sasukarin (ooc Karin)

Gaamatsu (will be seen in next chapter)

Kankusari (Kankuro & Sari)

(the other pairings have been decided, but, for the decency of the mysteries, I will keep them secret. Just consider the spoiler for the sasukarin as a little treat.)

Lastly, I don't think I can update this week (this chapter was for last week) since I have a lot of stuff to pass for school, sorry.

Thank you for your time.

* * *

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

Aidis & PeKan: sorry about my ambiguity, but I meant the arc, not the story as a whole; considering it would be _way_ to difficult with the number of things to cover in doing so, and I might just find myself with a confusing, rushed story.

Xtremo3000: well, I certainly hope that this chapter can shed some light on your confusion, though there is still the possibility that you're darkness will only be further deepened; please _do_ tell me your thoughts after you have read this chapter, thank you.

shadow uzumaki: there is _always_ more than what meets the eye, my friend; also, the water only _looks_ disease-ridden, that's the garbage talking. So don't worry.

Winnow: you make a very good point, though I am sorry to disappoint you, that question will take a while to address.

Lord Grond: looking at what you left me with, all I can tell you is wait, and I hope you enjoy this read.

Cenright: I concur; I can take some time for development starting this chapter, although there is still one more fight to get out of the way before we can go for a deeper development.

Legend of Namikaze Naruto: forgive me, but I update weekly, when time allows, but I've been busy lately, and I sometimes find it difficult to think of ways to develop a plot / conversation / battle smoothly and logically; and, as with regard to what Sasuke knows, well, you'll just have to figure that out with what information comes out in future chapters.

* * *

Oh, yes, the account was loosely based on a song by the artist, Voltaire.

Anyway, I think there was still more that I wanted to say, but I ended up forgetting about them, so I hope you like this week's update.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

**Chapter Twenty:**

**The Traitor's Warning**

"_Hush young one… listen to mother, will you?_

"…

"_Goodnight little royal, goodnight;_

"_Now it's the time to close your tired eyes,_

"_There're nations to take, and power to ride;_

"_When those fools see you coming, well, they'd better hide!_

"_Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…_

"…

"_Remember us; remember our present, for it is one you must not forget:_

"_Remember the three:_

"_Three Kings, three brothers, three cities, three men,_

"_Two fathers, one son, two shadows and a knight;_

"…

"_Goodnight little royal, goodnight;_

"_Now it's the time to close your tired eyes,_

"_There's power to take, and grandeur to ride;_

"_When those fools see you coming, well, they'd better hide!_

"_Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…_

"…

"_Remember them; remember our past, for it is through them that we are here today:_

"_Remember the tale:_

"_The father, and two brothers; forget not the fault…_

"_The fault which brought the fall of the two,_

"_The fault which brought the rise of our house,_

"_The grandeur of six, of seven, and of eight;_

"…

"_Goodnight little royal, goodnight;_

"_Now it's the time to close your tired eyes,_

"_There're nations to take, and power to ride;_

"_When those fools see you coming, well, they'd better hide!_

"_Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…_

"…

"_Remember us: your father and mother, for we may no longer be with you today._

"_Remember this lesson, Naruto, my child:_

"_I won't tell you that there's nothing 'neath your bed;_

"_I won't sell you that it's all in your head;_

"_This world of ours is not what it seems: the monsters are real, but they're not in your dreams;_

"_Learn what you can from the beasts you defeat, you'll need them for some of the people you'll meet._

"…

"_Goodnight little demon, goodnight;_

"_Now it's the time to close your tired eyes,_

"_There're lives to take, and creatures to ride;_

"_When those fools see you coming, they'll know it's time to die!_

"_Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…_

"…

"_Goodbye, my little demon, forgive your mother and father…_

"_But always remember, no matter the circumstance, __**none**__ of us will cease to love you; remember who you are, Namikaze Naruto, for it will be your blood that will lead you back to us._

"_I'll see you when the time comes."_

-Uzumaki Kushina's lullaby, her last words;

~TtT~

Amegakure's second councilman, a shadowed man dressed in pristine, white robes, turned to the window upon hearing the flutter of a pair of wings.

"Ah, senpai." The blond said. "How were the negotiations?" he asked the northern raven as the black avian made its way to the unmoving body of the Amekage: "I trust the talks weren't a problem?"

The man, now mobile, shook his head. "Quite the contrary, old friend; things went well, almost to a fault, even."

This comment raised an eyebrow from the advisor: "Oh?" he tilted his head. "How so?"

The kage sighed. "Nothing to be worried about, old friend." He added, getting off his throne to walk to the door leading to a balcony. "It's just that, after I reviewed the contents, I found the terms to be _severely_ generous on our part."

The councilor nodded in understanding: "I see," the man, in white, followed his companion to the entrance of the balcony, both males taking in the sight of falling rain as the precipitation reflected the light of the full moon. "But wasn't that how things had been intended? After all, Konoha is a superpower; it _will_ do well for us to have it as an ally."

There was a pause, both men standing in silence as lightning flashed and thunder clapped around them.

"Then again," the councilman added, a, slightly, sinister grin forming upon his features: "That nation will become more than just an ally, now, won't it, senpai?"

"Hmm," the Amekage smirked, the grayish-purple glow of his Rinnegan glowing coldly in the darkness of the frigid room.

Keeping his gaze to the moon, the Amekage spoke: "Indeed it will, Second King; the time of our move will come at last, and the remnants of our foolish _family_ won't know what hit them."

~TtT~

Councilman Shingi, a retired general who served under a multitude of warlords in his forty years in service, crouched low, taking great care to remain silent as he hid within the foliage that surrounded the clearing, the last of which was now about to be used as a battlefield.

He first turned his gaze to the main attraction: the Prince of Rain, with a certain Mitarashi Anko sitting behind him, and a blond Akatsuki member; the female of the trio was leaning against a tree, inconspicuously treating several wounds she had incurred on her arms and shoulders.

The remaining two, meanwhile, were looking intently at each other, the missing-nin already in his battle stance, a new clay sculpture at the ready, and the royal forming several seals, moving with the deliberate sloth of a fighter with total confidence in his abilities.

The teenager spoke, his voice betraying no emotion; his countenance displaying nothing besides strict professionalism: "**Katon: Mabushiihadou.**"

"Ah," the samurai politician commented in realization: "He intends to use that?" the old man couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the thought of the jutsu that the Ame male was about to perform. "A rather disgusting way to go, I say." The chuckle was followed by a humorous smirk. "Not that _I_ am any different in my methods."

He (Shingi) then turned to the site of the clay bird's fall, wanting to check on his superior's physical state:

_Well,_ he thought, after seeing a man and a teenage girl kneeling before the prone form of the fifth Kazekage. _At least Gaara-sama is in good hands; I'm sure that little Doki and Sari-chan can take care of him._ The old warrior returned his gaze to the forthcoming battle, a frown coming upon his face.

_I just wonder how Kazekage-sama is now; most certainly he his fine…_

_-Right?_

~TtT~

"Well now," the Akatsuki puppet master smirked, a raised eyebrow accompanying his gaze. "This is an interesting way for me to go." He cast his glance over his opponents: two teenagers, genin, in fact, and a retired, senile, old grandmother. "With my having conquered a whole nation with my puppets, I find myself defeated by three insignificant fools." He shook his head humorously.

"No." Haruno Sakura, no in control of her mental and physical faculties, said. "We are _not_ insignificant," she shook her head: "None of us are."

"Really now?" the red-haired machine queried. "Is that a fact?

"For, if I recall, _your_ significance ends with what my little blond friend had to say about you." He then turned to Kankuro: "_You_, meanwhile, possess only the level of significance to equal some of the puppets here, nameless, but useful, nonetheless."

He, lastly, turned to his grandmother: "And _you_ most of all, granny." He stated blankly. "You aren't of much use anymore, are you? Considering the fact that you went all out, and _still_ couldn't best me, I'd say my assumption is correct." The human puppet, despite being made of wood, managed to sneer at his last remaining immediate relative: "Some of the others in Akatsuki proved more of a challenge than you, hell," Sasori gestured to the Konoha genin: "This _girl_, a mere teenager, performed better than you in this battle. Why I-"

"Shut up." Sakura cut in, following her statement up with a punch to the puppet's cheek, cracking the, strangely, hard shell of wood; "What do _you_ know of human significance, huh?" she snarled at the thirty-five-year-old. "You, who see people as nothing more than additions to a collection of toys, even denying a person his, or her, rest; what could _you_ comprehend of the connections that exist between people?"

The puppet master grinned: "Heh," Sasori scoffed condescendingly at the girl, understanding fully what she was talking about. "I know well enough, Haruno Sakura; well enough to know that the death of a single, _solitary_, _unimportant_, _unaccountable_ person will only affect so much of the people around him.

"Pain is an illusion, one that I rid myself of _decades_ ago; I won't feel anything.

"I wouldn't feel anything if I succeeded in killing my grandmother, I didn't regret killing the third Kazekage," his small grin turned into a terrifying display of bared teeth as Sasori eyed the female genin: "And I know I, most certainly, would not have felt anything had I killed you.

"In context, the death of a lone person would affect his family, friends, and, maybe, even some of his colleagues, but it most certainly _not_ affect the performance of other people." The scorpion's grin faded as it was replaced with a solemn expression as he continued:

"Just look at Suna, girl, see at how it has managed to survive without its, supposedly, precious Kazekage; how Konoha managed to recover from the loss of Namikaze Minato."

The Akatsuki member shook his head: "No, people die, and the survivors move on, the mere fact that they, the bereaved, eventually overcome their grief simply proves my point:

"For, despite the fact that we may seem important, needed even, while we draw breath, we will fade eventually." He raised his arms to his sides, as though gesturing for the girl to look at him: "Why do you suppose I am the way I am now, no?

"This way, I cannot fade; I will remain significant, detached from pain, yet here, nonetheless." He looked down at her, meeting her jade glare with a calm stare form his own reddish-brown eyes.

"It also means that the punch you gave me, not moments ago, was useless in proving your point." He then added, continuing to maintain the staring competition he had with the pink-haired genin: "But, as we discussed, you had other questions you wanted to ask me?"

The puppet master's words caused Sakura to narrow her eyes, whether in suspicion or scrutiny, no one, herself included, knew. "How can you remain so calm, knowing that you're about to die." One of her brows rose as her curiosity made itself known. "Besides, what do you have to gain from telling me anything?"

The girl was replied with creaking joints and a tilted head: "Gain?" he chuckled darkly, the angle of the moon's light upon his face causing him to appear deranged. "There is nothing to gain, not when I'm about to die, now is there?" he continued, not waiting for an answer to come from any of his three opponents. "But I have nothing to lose, either. I am already as good as deceased; withholding some information will not help me advance."

"But what about the organization, then?" the Konoha kunoichi retorted: "Won't the information you are about to relate endanger their plans? You'll be branded a traitor."

She was answered with a scoff: "It won't make things any different for me;" he told her. "In truth, I hold _no_ loyalty for Akatsuki; my intentions lie elsewhere, and that is _none_ of your concern." There was a pause, no one in the immediate area speaking as thoughts plagued the minds of the victorious:

"Now," Sasori began, a good minute of bleeding after the silence began. "Get on with this; after all, _all_ of us could be doing something more productive rather than waiting for a puppet man to bite the dust."

~TtT~

Mitarashi Anko, sitting on the ground behind the prince as she tended to her injuries, felt sweat run down her forehead when the prince stated the name of his jutsu; the air around him was heating up, at a phenomenal speed.

The Konoha kunoichi opened her mouth to speak to the royal, the latter of whom had his back turned, but was stopped from doing so when the blond fifteen-year-old broke his stance and made for a headlong charge towards his opponent.

"A head-on charge, your majesty?" the older of the two males asked, sneering disparagingly at the younger royal. "That's a rather unexpected form of attack, especially coming from you, oh lord of tricks."

A scoff was heard from the Akatsuki member's left-hand side, the armless side: "Well now, Deidara-san; whatever made you suppose that I wasn't up to one of my tricks, no?"

The voice, obvious to everyone present, was that of the prince; the explosive specialist turned to his defenseless left, gazing in horror as the Ame heir ran at him with extended arms, silver, claw-tipped, fingers slicing through the air.

The Iwa missing-nin reacted quickly, taking care to get out of the prince's hands as quickly as possible; Deidara performed a back flip, landing on his two hands, as the fingered appendages pushed his feet unto a tree's trunk, where, with the use of the wall-walking technique, shifted positions, and made a jump over the younger blond.

As this occurred meanwhile, the clone that made the feint charge crumbled to ash.

"Ash clone, lord prince?" Deidara pointed out as he moved through his trajectory. "I should have expected as much from someone as you."

"Indeed." The prince replied, using the force from his previous, round-house strike to make a full spin to face his opponent: "Shinobi are supposed to be masters of deception, isn't that right, Deidara-san?" this statement was followed with an extension of the younger blonde's left arm where a set of four chain-kunai, more commonly known as rope darts, despite the fact that the blades were latched unto chains rather than rope, flew from the prince's sleeve and toward the former Iwa shinobi.

"Humph." The missing-nin huffed, leaning backwards to let two of the blades fly harmlessly above him, while spinning clockwise slightly as the one passed his remaining arm, and with the last weapon being parried with a swat of the hand. "Don't go spouting that philosophical nonsense at me;" the Akatsuki member landed on his feet, his weapon of choice: clay, readily formed in his right hand.

"I'm not an academy student, you know, yeah."

~TtT~

The old elder remained silent, ignoring her relative and keeping most of her attention on the pink-haired teenager that stood stock still.

The woman began: "Sakura, I-."

"What about Ame, then." The old woman was cut off; Sakura, now completely sober, stood to her full height and sent the thirty-five-year-old, dying man a glare that made her jade green eyes appear, at least to Sasori, to bear the fires of the nine hells themselves. "What connection do you have to Amegakure? Why did Hiruko have an iron plate with Ame's engraving on it?"

There was silence after that; the Akatsuki member doing nothing but looking at the Konoha genin with a blank expression, not denying anything, but not confirming anything either; Sakura found herself unsure of whether the puppet-man was doing this to think of an answer or debating with himself whether, or not, to answer her at all.

She acted upon the assumption that it was the latter:

"Just give me an answer." She told him, now heated at his silence. "It was, after all, you who declared our agreement."

And then she waited, holding her growing impatience as she expected an answer.

Finally, after three-quarters of a minute, the red scorpion sighed.

"The connection I have with Amegakure is a rather insignificant one: I only stole some parts form them when I was repairing Hiruko of some damages from a fight." The human puppet's left hand gestured shakily to the only male genin in the immediate vicinity: "I'm sure Kankuro-san, here, can vouch for that.

"I stole the parts from his current puppet's original model, after all."

The two kunoichi in the group of four turned to the Kazekage's older brother:

Sabaku no Kankuro, after a minute of recalling, answered them with a nod: "I can support that: there was a break-in at one of Amegakure's weapon's factories, more specifically, the workshop that was used for the construction of the first Akuma model puppet, six months ago;" he turned to Sasori, the former's expression unreadable. "So it was _you_ who stole the prototype of the left arm."

The Akatsuki member nodded in affirmation. "That was I." the red-head returned his gaze to Sakura: "Now, it is not uncommon knowledge that Amegakure has the penchant of marking what it theirs, and those parts that I made use of are _no_ exception; I presume that it is safe to say that my connection to Amegakure is _indubitably _irrelevant beyond the act larceny; satisfied?"

The puppet master observed the teenager closely, taking in all the details: the furrowing of her brow, the periodical clenching and unclenching of her fists, and the repeated parting of her lips.

_She has more questions to ask._ The red-head realized, knowing full-well that there was still something more to be done. _Let's beat this one to the punch, shall we?_

"Wait." He said tersely. "I can tell that you still have more to ask, but, there is also something that I would like you to answer."

"-A question?" Sakura asked, not really expecting an answer. "What do you want to know?"

Sasori nodded to her response, content that he was allowed this leeway.

"We are foes, neither bound, by contract, to the other; I see no reason to bother with satisfying you, as it is within my own rights to remain silent. So tell me, Haruno Sakura, why I had been obligated to answer _any_ of your questions in the first place?"

And again, silence reigned over the four shinobi as the Konoha kunoichi mulled over this question.

"There are many facts about our profession that, more or less, tend to remain unknown to a great majority of us." The Akatsuki member told her, having become tired of waiting for a reply. "Some of those facts pertain to our past practices, beliefs, philosophies, procedures, and, most of all, our origins." He kept his hard, reddish-brown gaze trained upon Sakura. "The question I presented to you pertains to that piece of information.

"The shinobi world, as it is now, is vastly different from times of old; the legions of ninja that run the five, now six, great shinobi nations are very commercial; openly public in what they do, and act as counter-top mercenaries for anyone with enough money." He paused, for but a moment, not giving the teen enough of an opening to give her answer:

"Now, as the answer to the question I voiced earlier: you must understand that, before the founding, shinobi and kunoichi were _not_ hired through the kage's desk, they were sought for, and paid, the employers taking great care to make sure that there was _no_ written contract, so as to keep the masterminds hidden.

"But there in lies the problem doesn't it?" he asked, not really expecting an answer from anyone there; Sasori continued: "Without a written contract, the shinobi weren't actually bound to fulfill their end of the bargain, especially when payments were made before the job was completed; if so, how were the countless nobles still able to trust the shinobi despite the lack of collateral?

"The answer is simple:" he said.

"Trust, in from the employer, and need from the employee.

"_Do_ understand that, before the founding, shinobi were people that lived in the mountains, and, along with the priests, closer to the gods than any other people that walked the earth." He continued:

"Of course, living in the mountain was also rather difficult, and, consequently, the need for money and other things, was also quite high.

"The people that hired shinobi could only count on the assumption that the shinobi would do what was asked of them, if only for the sake of the money that was to be, or had been, paid for the services rendered." he ended, seemingly unperturbed by his loss of blood.

The group assembled before him took some time to take all the information in, adapting looks of contemplation and doubt as the silence sunk into place.

But, after another minute, Chiyo made her thoughts known: "Thinking about what you said, Sasori, I couldn't help but notice your knowledge of the old shinobi code, something that had been around since before the warring clans' period, which happened to have been centuries ago.

"May I ask: Where did you come across this information?"

At this, the red scorpion raised an eyebrow. "'_Where'_, granny? I half-expected you to ask me _'How'_ I found the information."

The elder answered her grandson with a shake of her head: "There would be no point in asking how you learned it, as it was most likely that you read it, and, considering the fact that there are _no_ people following the old codes anymore, it was the most likely method;" she sent the dying puppet a tired smile. "I may be old, and growing senile even, my little scorpion, but I'm not a fool yet."

"Perhaps that would indeed be the case, granny." The Akatsuki member told her, his voice now blank. "But the location, I shall say, was a rather interesting one when I fist arrived:" he looked at each of his three foes' faces.

"The codes were found, engraved unto a black tablet, inside the _Temple of the Six_."

"You lie," the elder declared. "The Temple of the Six is a myth, one that exists at the same level as that of the _Sage of the Six Ways_; and, just like the sage, it is a legend, and nothing more."

The puppet affixed its gaze on the old woman: "The reality of the great sage is something that remains to be unseen, I won't argue with you there, but the temple is real, something I found, albeit, something I won't be able to find again."

"What?" it was Sakura, this time, that voiced her question, a pink eyebrow raised. "What do you mean you won't find it?"

Sasori shook his head in response: "I mean that I can't find it again, I only stumbled upon it by accident, and found myself outside it in the same manner." His left hand began to move, shaking with strained effort as the heat-piece's straining control struggled to keep the body subordinate; the others merely watched with wary anticipation as five shuddering fingers reached the opposite side of his woody abdomen, and opening a hidden compartment to bring out the last's contents.

The puppet-master held out the little box, his hand threatening to surrender to his lack of control.

"In this box," he said, his voice, suddenly, weak, as though he was speaking to them from far away. "This box contains all I have left, whether they be personal or professional, you will find it here."

Sakura eyed the rectangular prism carefully: it was rather simple, a box of polished wood, no larger than a pocket book in size, with, once again, six, iron, this time, Magatama beads inserted in a circular pattern on the top cover.

"Also," Sasori added, forcing the girl to look back to him. "There are several correspondences with Uzumaki-dono that you should find inside, and several other things that you may find _very_ interesting, disturbing even." She took the box with both her hands, handling it with the greatest of care. "There is also a key that is needed to open the box;" the Akatsuki member told her, his voice now barely hearable. "You can find it inside my mask; break this, and it should be there;

"Everything inside the box is yours for the taking."

Sakura nodded in understanding, and, without great hesitation, bowed to the fallen shinobi. _Despite the fact that he was an opponent, he has been nothing but honorable since I crossed with him; he deserves, at least, this much_. "I thank you for this, Akasuna no Sasori." And, with the other two, turned to leave the puppet to his rest.

"Wait, girl," he stopped her. "There is something I must warn you of." She turned to look at him with curiosity as he spoke:

"Be careful of what you find, our history is not so angelic as to merit the tallest of pedestals; the legacy of the _Grand Founding_ is as dark as the deepest of despairs, and the secrets held within the some of those scrolls may shake your understanding of our history to its very core."

* * *

Was there any ooc-ness, anyone?

What do you think?

Now, this arc should be done in one, or two, more chapters, as I was too lazy to write out the prince's fight, which will be the main focus of the next chapter, and Gaara's revival on the chapter following.

* * *

**QUESTIONS:**

The battle with Sasori has ended, what do you think of the story as a whole?

Also, Sasori had spilled some beans, but do you think anything he said directly hold any significance in the story's future development?

Do you think the box holds clues as to Naruto's current whereabouts?


	21. Mission Failed

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

Yo, it's good to be back after three weeks of inactivity.

Let's start with an apology, from me, for taking so long to post this update; I've just been busy over the last few weeks.

Also, this chap was a bitch to finish. I found myself having a writers block with regard to development of the prince's fight scene, and the interaction of Sakura with regard to other things.

* * *

**REVIEW RESPONCES:**

Crypton89: you post a _very_ good argument, crypton, and I'm glad that you were sharp enough to find that one, and voice it out; actually, that was one of the ooc's that I had done on purpose, but fear not, for, if things go the way I want, you will heve your answers in the next chapter. (this reply is referring to the character of Sasori in chapter 20)

Legend of Namikaze Naruto: we have already discussed you review over the last few weeks, and I feel that there is no need to debate over this any further. *grins like an idiot*

Xtremo3000: oh my, someone has been reading my inferences. Thank you, xtremo, because that is what I aim to achieve. I'm glad that you are referring to past chapters for clues on present questions, as there _are_ some clues there that could be connected to what information I gave in the more recent updates.

But be warned, some of those clues may lead you to dead ends.

RogueNya: I thank you for the complements, I will admit that choreographing a battle is difficult especially with the limit of abilities the characters possess; this was, actually, the very reason I had to create some of my own jutsu, and give the characters skills they may have not had in cannon.

Naruto The Highlander: as for you, you pairing fantard, I will _not_ deny that I have a great hatred for Hinata, but that doesn't mean that she is beyond my respect; check chapter fourteen, you little fool; I have a scene there with Hinata, the claw, _and_ the prince there is no bashing there whatsoever. I don't care if you think canon should be naruhina or whatever. Pairings are always, I repeat: _always_ subject to the difference of opinion, and I think it would be best not to let personal feeling get in the way of my work as a writer of fanfiction. It's unbecoming.

Sincerely, with great care,

Toph the Trickster

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One:**

**Mission Failed**

"_Understand This:_

"_Conflict is eternal;_

"_It is __**so**__ deeply __**programmed**__ into the human subconscious that it shall __**never**__ be cease to dominate this world._

"_Grasp that concept before you even __**attempt**__ to preach your dreams of __**peace**__ to __**me.**__"_

-Lord Maelstrom the Discordant

~TtT~

_This isn't what I had expected from this mission._

That was the main thought that plagued Haruno Sakura as she, and her two other companions, walked through the, barely standing, entrance of the marred cave and took to the trees, Sasori's box tucked safely inside her weapon's pouch.

_This was something I'm sure __**no one**__ would have ever expected to occur._

_Naruto's alive? _She couldn't help but ask herself, feeling that dubiety well up inside her. _How that __**hell**__ is this information rearing its ugly head __**now**__? _She felt her arms unconsciously wrap around each other as the three continued through the forest. _Why? When the time of hope for finding him had, long-since, dried beyond restoration?_

_Why now?_

The oppressiveness within her continued to build, coming to a point that she displayed what she could not contain upon her visage, even as the trio sped up.

~TtT~

"Does it actually matter?" -Queried a voice through the black mist.

In the darkness of the black night, and the light of the ruby moon, Haruno Sakura gazed closely at the person who intruded upon her subconscious:

She was young, probably no more than one year or two older, in appearance, at least, to the genin, the former faced Sakura with her back to the full moon, leaving her facial features enshrouded by the cast shadows and the color of her abdomen-length hair altered by the crimson light of the sole astral body in view; the stranger was dressed traditionally, wearing an all-white kimono.

…_-A wedding kimono._ The Konoha kunoichi observed.

"So?" the stranger voiced again. "Are you going to tell me an answer anytime soon?"

The follow-up question caused Sakura's eyebrows to scrunch together:

"What matters?"

The older teen in front of the genin tilted her head to one side, her silky hair moving with the action: "What else do you think I was asking about?" she brought her hands to her sides, and held her open palms in front of her as though shrugging. "You asked why this was happening now, and I asked you why the time mattered.

"Isn't that simple enough to understand?"

The stranger paused, as though waiting for a reply from the wide-eyed genin; a full minute passed in the scene before them: the empty sky flaunting the void around them as the howling winds caressed their faces, and hair, moving the black mist from the ruby moon to pass over the Haruno's form.

The stranger sighed when it became apparent that she would receive no answer from the younger girl.

"Remember that, during the first few months that you had been searching for Naruto, you were never more serious about your profession as a kunoichi as you were then, whether it was out of care or guilt is besides the point.

"You wanted him back, I'm sure of that, but it couldn't have been helped that you simply couldn't find him."

This statement caught Sakura's attention; as it was very similar to what Sasuke had told her six months after the chuunin had concluded, one month, and a half, after he had been declared missing by the third Hokage.

She recalled his exact words:

~ "_We just have to accept the fact that he may not be coming back._" ~

_He may not be coming back…_ she repeated, before the realization came to her:

_He may not be coming back._ Her eyes were wide as she faced the dark form of the older teenager, whom, for reasons unknown to her, was grinning at Sakura's train of thought. _Sasuke never really told me that Naruto was dead, and neither did any reports explicitly indicate so._

"Time isn't really relevant," she told the stranger. "If the cause does not take time as one of its conditions, at least." The older girl gestured her to go on: "And the answer to the question, a question that was never _truly_ addressed, cannot be given a satisfactory reply with rushed thoughts and assumptions."

The stranger nodded, seemingly pleased with Sakura's reply: "The question of 'why?' does not apply _yet_; I'll tell you now, just be happy with the knowledge that you still have your chance, Haruno Sakura, it is now only a question of whether you will be able to take it, as that is another matter entirely."

And, as the shrouded female turned to leave, the pink-haired girl, her hair colored by the irregularity of the blood moon, called:

"Wait, before you leave, can't you tell me who you are, what this place is called?"

The older teen stopped mid-stride, and took the opportunity to look Sakura in the eye, albeit the fact that those of the former remained unseen in the darkness.

"And, may I ask, what made you think that?"

The Konoha genin sent her companion a knowing smirk: "I know what the inside of my mind looks like," she then gestured to the empty sky and the red moon. "And this is _not_ how my mind appears to be."

Sakura's factual statement was replied with a gentle smile from the small part of the stranger's face that now reveled in the scarlet light:

"So true, Sakura." The speaker let loose a light giggle. "This isn't your mind, but I won't be telling you what this place is just yet.

"As for who I am, though, that is up for discussion:"

There was another pause, this time it was caused by the speaker tilting her head into the light enough to reveal her open eyes to the genin; Sakura gasped at what she saw:

Accompanied with the same gentle smile she had been sent, and the, all to familiar, face, the young Haruno found herself staring at the sight of two red, fox eyes that she hadn't seen in the last three years.

"The thing is, Sakura, I'm you."

~TtT~

Another explosion shook the forest's clearing as the battle between the Prince of Rain and Deidara of Iwa drew onward.

The aforementioned Akatsuki member jumped above one of the prince's claw swipes while opening his remaining palm to release a clay bird.

"Take me seriously, prince-sama." The elder of the two said. "You haven't used a single jutsu since that stunt with the ash clone, yeah." He placed his hand into a one-handed tiger seal, and, just as he charged the chakra inside the clay for detonation, the strange creature was back-handed several meters to his left, before exploding.

"Don't take me for a fool, Deidara-san." The Ame shinobi told his opponent as he brought the arm he used previously, the right arm, into a five-fingered thrust at the Akatsuki member's neck. "You wouldn't put too much chakra into a bomb that you had intended to detonate in both our faces."

The older blond responded with a parry from his own right arm, and followed the spinning movement with a sweep-kick to the royal's head.

This was returned with a swift turn of the prince bellow, and around, the blow.

The prince finished what he was saying, unperturbed by the occurring combat: "Unless you had intended to take yourself with me, of course." The short-haired blond jumped back, his smirk remaining visible despite the swiftness of his movements; he paused once he was ten meters directly in front of his foe.

The prince entered a fighting stance: his legs spread apart, the left foot ahead of its counterpart, and his arms held out diagonally in front of him, palms wrung into a claw.

"And I'm _sure_ that you would not have wanted to die today."

Two black kunai shot out from his sleeves, shortly afterward, caught at the ring by a pair of middle fingers. The Prince twirled his weapons around the said fingers, before holding them backwards and entering a boxing stance.

"Also," the younger blond said. "Jutsu aren't _always_ needed; any mortal creature can be killed, with, or without weaponry, Ninjutsu included."

A breeze blew through the area around the combating pair, causing the braches on the overlying canopy to sway, and the some of the leaves to abandon their posts.

Deidara spoke: "You talk a lot, don't you?"

The royal's smirk widened slightly at the accusation: "I'm glad you noticed;" he then charged forward, making a quick swerve to his left, followed by another to his right, before lifting his left foot, and sending a punch, with the same-sided hand, in the Akatsuki member's direction, subsequently sending a pair of chained kunai that shot out from under the solitary sleeve.

The older of the two blonds dodged to his right, narrowly dodging the two projectiles as they jet past, going right above the joint where his shoulder met his neck, on the left side.

"You see:" the male hailing from Amegakure stated, still going through with his previous run; after his initial attack dug, nearly a foot deep, into one of the many trees. "I'm a politician." He continued his charge, this time closing the distance that had existed between him and his foe. "And talking is what we're good at."

The royal struck, bringing his fist into an over-head swipe with the jagged kunai aimed at the Akatsuki member's forehead.

Deidara, meanwhile, reacted quickly: sliding his left foot forward, and brining his left foot back, entering a kneeling position in the process. The earlier action was then followed by the elder blond opening his remaining palm, the said body part facing his enemy's chest, and letting loose multitude of clay tendrils, extending forward, and wrapping themselves around the prince's, now stationary, body.

Unable to react fast enough, especially with the fact that his opponent was less than a foot away, the royal found himself bound by clay tentacles controlled by, what appeared to be, a white, clay octopus.

"Well now," the prince began as his opponent jumped back, subsequently getting to a safe distance from the clay's potential explosion. "Isn't this interesting."

The Akatsuki member grinned at the Amegakure native; and, placing his right hand into a one-handed ram seal, he said:

"You know what?" he asked. "I, wholeheartedly, agree, yeah."

And the octopus exploded.

~TtT~

"Haruno-chan." Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure asked the pink-haired teenager. "Are you aware of the Kazekage's current whereabouts?"

Haruno Sakura started, as though brought out of some deep thought by the sudden speaking of her senior kunoichi.

"E-excuse me?" she asked with a, slightly, shaky voice, Sasori's wooden box suddenly clutched closely to her chest. "What was that, Chiyo-baa-sama?"

The odd reply caused the elder's eyebrows to furrow, and her concern to sow.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I feel that you haven't been acting like usual since we left my grandson to his rest."

The Konoha genin shook her head: "I'll be fine, Chiyo-baa-sama;" her fingers clenched against the antique wood a little harder. "I've just been thinking about what he said."

"Which part?" It was Kankuro, this time, who put in a few words. "Thinking about it, he talked about several things: something about our history as shinobi, the event of the Grand Founding, the Temple of the Six, and that blond kid you entered with in the chuunin exams three years ago." He watched the younger kunoichi closely, observing for any reactions to what segment of the sentence he said. _Considering I left enough of a pause to give her time to react._

He found no obvious reaction to anything he voiced. "Is it something else?" he asked this time.

She sent the shinobi another shake of her head: "It's everything, actually;" she stared at the brown-haired boy's raised eyebrows. "I mean think about it: there's-."

She was interrupted when the sudden voice from her intercom called for her attention:

"_**Hey!**_" the female genin recognized the voice instantly: "_**This is Mitarashi Anko, calling.**_" Sakura, no longer interested in talking about what the, now diseased, Akatsuki member she had defeated previously had told the, quickly took out her ear piece and lapel, placing them on their prescribed positions.

"This is Haruno Sakura, Mitarashi-senpai," she spoke into the mouth piece, her voice confident: "What is it?"

She heard a relived sigh form across the com link before he heard the special jounin speak again, the latter's voice now casual: "_**Ah, thank goodness.**_" The older Konoha kunoichi said. "_**I was worried that you didn't make through that fight of yours, pinky; one-eye wouldn't be too happy if he found out that he lost **__**another **__**student.**_" Sakura could practically _see_ the mischievous smirk on the face of the woman on the other line.

"Yes, senpai," the teen replied, not noticing the reference and her voice now heavy with sarcasm. "Whatever you say." She paused, waiting for the jounin to say something. -_Or, rather, __**anything**__ that can tell us where the mission objective is right now._

The voice from the radio changed, no longer the chipper tune that sang through it, just moments ago, but now the voice of a highly ranked ninja of Konohagakure: professional and to the point: "_**I've found the Kazekage, he's with me now.**_"

At this news, Sakura couldn't help it; she just had too grin upon hearing that the person her team was sent to rescue was already in allied hands, safe from the members of the Akatsuki.

"That's great news, Mitarashi-senpai!" she called to the lapel. "Now, what's your status?" she asked, remembering that the kage had been in the custody of one of the enemy organization's members. "Is everything alright over there?"

There was a pause, almost a hesitation on the part of the special jounin, in fact:

"_**Actually…**_" there was another pause, as though the woman on the other side was thinking of what to say.

Once again, Anko spoke: "_**Haruno-san, you're a medic, right?**_"

The sudden question caused Sakura to worry about her senior's status immediately. "We're on our way there now, just give us your location, and your assessment of the situation."

"_**We're north of the Shinto gate, the place you called me from earlier; travel down that same river, and check on the surrounding forestry, you should pass us before you hit the sixth kilometer.**_

"_**As for our status; well, it doesn't exactly look good.**_"

Sakura could only remain silent on the Konoha jounin's last statement, the implications of the latter's words weighing heavy on her consciousness.

"Can you please be more specific, Mitarashi-senpai." She pleaded back.

"_**Well, my arms are injured, not beyond the point of use, but just not good enough for combat, the prince just got himself caught in one of the Akatsuki guy's explosives, and the Kazekage is invalid.**_

"_**I'll be honest here, Haruno-chan: I could really use your opinion on this 'cause I've had the kage next to me here for the past few minutes, I've checked his pulse, breathing, and heartbeat, and, from all that I can tell directly…**_

"_**The Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure is, by all accounts, dead.**_"

~TtT~

A stunned silence overcame the group of three ninja, no one daring to move as they anticipated what was to happen nest; the two from Suna, waiting for what news Sakura would give them, while the remaining genin, still trying to cope with the fact that the mission had failed.

"I-I see." Were the first words she uttered to the lapel. "We'll be there in ten minutes; can you hold the Akatsuki member until we get there?"

"_**I can try,**_" the woman on the other line replied. "_**Just hurry up, this guy is pretty bothersome, and, with me still injured, I won't be able to hold him off for long.**_"

And following, all that the Konoha genin heard was static.

Sakura sighed, taking a deep breath shortly afterward; she needed to think clearly.

_I need to tell them_. She thought as she turned to face her two other companions. _They deserve to know that the Kazekage is no longer with the living._

"Chiyo-baa-sama, Kankuro-san," she began, her eyes overflowing with sympathy, and her lips pursing together in the disgrace of failure. "I have bad news:" the initial choice of words immediately brought a frown to the kage's brother; Chiyo's reaction, however, was too subtle to be noted through the darkness of the night.

"Mitarashi-senpai managed to recover the Kazekage after an engagement with the Akatsuki member that took him from the cave earlier; she told me that the prince is still in combat with the target, but was caught in some explosion."

Kankuro's frown deepened into a scowl as he heard the female teen speak: "I appreciate the status report, and all," he said. "But can you please give us the bad news, now!?"

The, obviously, angry tone with which the Suna genin spoke caused Sakura to unconsciously bite down on her lower lip; she took another deep breath, trying to calm her mind before giving her companions the news:

"Kazekage-sama has been retrieved; he is with Mitarashi-senpai as we speak."

The scowl on Kankuro's face disappeared within seconds: "That's great news!" he told Sakura with a grin. "How is that bad-!?"

"You didn't let me finish." Sakura cut him off. "The fifth Kazekage's person is safe and in Konoha hands, but I never mentioned his well being." she bowed her head, the full moon's light bouncing off her shining pink hair: "He is, by field diagnosis, at least, no longer alive." She raised her head to face the two who stood in front of her, the Konoha genin's eyes shining with unshed tears. "Forgive me for saying this, but Sabaku no Gaara has passed on."

~TtT~

Another bout of silence passed over the group after Sakura broke the news to the ninja of Suna.

In the end, it was the sand elder that broke the solemnity that surrounded them:

"I must say," she said, her features shrouded by the night. "I'm not surprised."

"And what the hell do you mean by that!?" it was Kankuro, snapping back faster than Sakura could register Chiyo's words. "Were you _expecting_ my brother to die!?" he was now pointing at the eldest person in the group accusingly. "-If so, that why the _fuck_ did you even bother to go on this mission!?"

"Ichibi no Shukaku;" Was the elder's simple reply; the statement causing Kankuro to wince with guilt. "Forgive me if I sounded heartless, but you should be well aware of the Akatsuki's motives for capturing your brother." She stopped speaking for several moments, waiting for a sound to come from either of the teenagers that stood before her.

She heard none: "Also, I don't know if anyone told you this, but please understand that whenever a demon is extracted, at least for someone like your brother, the host is _expected_ to die;" the old woman bit her lip. "It's part of being a jinchuuriki."

"Excuse me," it was Sakura, now too bothered by her own curiosity to ignore it any longer: "When we accepted this mission, we were never told the motives behind the attack of the Akatsuki members other than the kidnapping of the Kazekage, and when we asked the prince, he never gave us an answer.

"But you spoke of something that I have never heard of before:" she continued.

"What's a jinchuuriki?"

* * *

I had originally intended to finish the remainder of the arc in this chapter, but it would have taken me, at least, another week to get it down, and, considering my schedule over the next few weeks, I will not have the time to finish it; thus, it shall be finished in the next chapter, hopefully.

So, as a last announcement:

Do not expect me to be able to post an update in the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Toph the Trickster


	22. Seeds now Sown

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nothing more.

* * *

_**Greetings;**_

It's been a _long _while. Suffice to say, I feel a bit of doubt as to whether you are still interested in this at all; considering as I haven't updated in well over two months, not that it did not occur without reason, of course.

I've been busy, distracted, and stressed out. As such, I have been unable to get much writing done.

It's half past three in the morning now, and I am exhausted.

I'm also rather happy to be updating this one again.

I hope you enjoy this update, and whatever following ones I will have in store for you.

* * *

_**Review Responses:**_

mandy-san, Winnow – I'm glad to know that you have started to look back on that (Sasuke-Prince conversation), I was wondering if some had begun to forget that I put that little scene in early on. As for your statement on Maelstrom, Mandy-san, no he is not from the anime, but I'm sure you'll start looking at clues that will help you find the answers you seek.

Trife, oldman543, Getsuga Tensou, Cookiie Ninjaa, Gravenimage – Thank you, and here's the chapter you seek as I'm also happy to be presenting it.

RogueNya – Thank you very much, and don't worry about good old Prince, you'll see what happens in the first scene…

Trickster411- Is there something you whish me to clarify?

Naruto The Highlander – Perhaps that is the case, I have reread the review, and I apologize for my previous outburst, but I still do not see good reason for you to flame me, or dislike my story, over something as character preference. Yes, I hate Hinata, yes I can see that many like her; but is it so bad not to? If my bashing her worries you, you can check out chap 14 of this fic, and know that I intend to do no such thing. Also, when I spoke of not allowing my personal feelings get in my way while writing, I meant that allowing to affect how I planned things out. Tell me, how have I been unbecoming in my writing, notes and questions aside, just in-story?

Elemental-Zer0 – ZERO! It's very nice to hear from you again! Thank you very much for the reviews! Your answers to the questions are always interesting to read, and your advice is greatly appreciated.

Also, there was one review that commented on Sasori's "niceness" by giving away information, I apologize for not posting your name as the lack of sleep is making me far too lazy to bother hunting it down, but the answer to your post will be in this chapter.

With that, let us move on to our feature presentation:

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster

* * *

_

**Arc One Conclusion:**

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

**Seeds now Sown**

"_Awaken, my son; awaken from the dream._

"_Awaken and face all reality as it seems._

"_Your ideals are rough, unpolished and vague._

"_A hindrance they will be, to your growth along the way._

"_This is who you are; a supreme truth that shall forever reign._

"_The world now stands before you. Arise, my son, the Prince of Rain."_

_-Lord Rikudo, the Shodai Amekage_

~TtT~

Blade-tipped fingers wasted no time in grabbing at the gray coat's collar, and ripping down the edges where the buttons were fastened; just as quickly they removing the burning article and throwing it into the strengthening wind.

_~Victory can be grasped by the swift.~_

The Prince reminded himself as he smirked and said:

"You almost had me there, Deidara-san." The teenager stood at ease with his hands at his sides as he continued. "Had you used denser clay, we would not be having this conversation."

_There is no doubt now, _The Prince narrowed his purple eyes slightly at his opponent. _He is almost out of clay._

He brought his hands together and quickly formed the monkey and dragon seals respectively:

"**Shinkuton: Kusajoushou!** (Scarlet Style: Climbing Vines)"

_~Though only the wise know how such swiftness can be best applied. ~_

Legs spread outward, the Prince snapping his right hand forward and sending a multitude of black chain-darts at the Akatsuki member, moonlight flashing as the blades flew forward. Deidara reacting naturally by dodging them, then the second wave of attacks that struck at the latter's own right side.

The blunt sound of metal piercing steel resounded as over fifteen kunai embedded themselves deep into unseen trees behind the older blonde, Deidara's sky-blue eyes narrowing in the realization that two of his sides were already blocked off.

The Prince Grinned.

"When one seeks to hurt another, one must first strike." The Ame national stated, as his purple eyes flashed with light. "And in order to strike successfully, one must know where to strike _at_." The Prince pulled his arms back, pulling the chains taut with his hands. "Do you know where that is, Deidara-san?"

The light form the royal's eyes turned red before the glow spread to create a single glowing, angry eye.

But what occurred after caused the eyes of the Suna genin, and most of the others to widen, and the lips of the present councilmen to perk into amusement.

The prince began to crumble into an ash pile, leaving a black, steel pole in his place. The demon mask placed at the top stared at the other combatant with glowing eyes and said:

~"_**To strike and not be defended against, is to strike where they cannot defend**_."~

Deidara turned his head to the side, blue meeting purple as the older blonde looked at the speaking prince.

No one spoke after he, Doki did not speak to the genin who accompanied him, Anko said nothing to the intercom, Sari simply stared, and Shingi continued to look amusingly at what developed after that.

No, not even nature dared to make a noise when the hideous sound of tearing flesh filled the air as the Prince's right claw emerged from Deidara's abdomen, the latter of the two vomiting blood as the aforementioned liquid spattered across the dark earth. The silence was replaced with the gasps of the missing-nin as the Prince twisted the intruding claw.

It was at that point in time that Anko saw something in the Prince that she could not recognize, from the slightly cold look the Ame royal's now grayish-purple eyes gave the Akatsuki member as the latter's knees gave way and Deidara began to stumble, she could see calm, but there was more than that, something she could only lightly compare with Orochimaru, but it was not something he was too strong with.

_Who is it, then, that that look reminds me of? I know that look, or at least another who had it._ Purple eyebrows furrowed as Anko continued to stare at the Prince, her mind beginning to provide her with a multitude of images that she could connect to the expression of the shinobi before her.

In the kunoichi's mind, the grayish-purple turned oceanic blue, the blonde hair grew longer, and the vest was covered with a long white coat as she saw the wearer slay an Iwa commander with a single stroke so long ago.

It was the same expression of superiority that Konoha's most loved leader gave his foes whenever he would defeat them with ease, when he though no one was looking, or when he didn't care if there was.

_That's the look of the fourth Hokage!_

"I have you now, Deidara of Iwa." Proclaimed the Prince to his foe as Anko's realization came to her. "Become ash before me. _**Katon: Mabushiihadou**_ (Fire Style: Radiant Surge)**.**"

_The First rule:_

_~Know thy foe, this is half of victory.~_

~TtT~

"I do so believe, Haruno-chan," Stated the elder in response to the girl. "That such an explanation was already given before." The old woman's eyes took note of the teenage girl's furrowed brows and added: "Maybe all the information you have just taken from my grandson and the stress of the fight have had that effect on you." Chiyo chuckled despite the direness of the news that they had just received. "Yes, stress has that tendency to cloud one's memory, child."

Sakura closed her eyes and sifted through her thoughts, checking her memories for anything that might prove useful. Beginning with her most recent ones regarding Sasori's claim to having worked with Naruto, to learning of her friend's apparent state as a living, albeit missing, person, she continued to look back.

"Recall your discussion with the image that had Gaara-chan at its feet when we entered the cavern;" The elder related to the younger kunoichi.

_Yes, there it is. _Sakura could finally bring up the memory from her exhausted mind, the image's words resounding through her as though she was hearing it live once more:

_~A Jinchuuriki is a human being that has been used as a demon's prison; a container, if you will.~_

Sakura spoke, her eyes remaining shut as she did so: "Yes, I recall what he told me." She said. "They are containers, people that hold the 'Tailed Beasts' within their bodies." Jade eyes opened to meet those of the elder woman. "Though it refused to tell me what these tailed beasts _are_."

Chiyo nodded as the wind started to blow past the three ninja. "Yes, you are correct on your declaration, Sakura-chan. That is indeed the main idea of a Jinchuuriki." She paused, opening her mouth afterward to take a deep breath, as though bracing for a difficult subject.

The elder asked: "Before we move on, though, I think that there is a very important fact about ninja culture that I must remind you of." The old woman informed her junior as the former began to walk to one of the larger boulders, and sat down upon it.

She then told Kankuro: "Go ahead, Kankuro-chan." She motioned with her left as though shooing him away. "This isn't anything you haven't heard before, and you have your brother to attend to, yes?"

The male genin gave the elder a brief look, black eyes meeting the elder's own.

The wind gave pause before he spoke his reply:

"Of course, Chiyo-baasama." He nodded, and then turning about and tightening the coffin's straps to his back, he dashed off into the forest they were headed to.

Sakura had pulled her hair from her face when the wind resumed as she gazed at the Kazekage's older brother as the latter continued to fade from sight when the elder's first words made the younger female redirect her attention.

"Tell me, Sakura-chan," the old woman's tone sounded more curious than anything else, if Sakura knew no better. "Have you ever doubted a person before?" Chiyo then took a deep breath and placed her palms on her knees. "Have you ever felt that at any point in your life as a shinobi or even as a regular person, that someone was not giving you the whole truth?"

No contemplation was needed for the genin to think of an answer:

"Of course I have." She said.

Chiyo nodded before continuing.

"Yes, it is only natural, for you would not be human if you did not doubt." The elder closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and stood up. "But do you know that the old code once made mention of a rule regarding trust," Chiyo stared into Sakura's jade eyes. "One that must always be practiced despite what it implies to the people of your village?"

The older female did not wait for a reply, but chose to signal Sakura to move along, beginning their northbound dash along the river.

"The rule is actually stated in like this:

"~_ 'When one readies for a task given from above, always remember to prepare the standards._

" _~ 'But as you move to leave the warmth of home, take care to look at the faces of those that walk the path with you_

"~_ 'And then tell yourself that these are your colleagues not your kin._

"_~ 'That they may take your life when it suits them_

"~_ 'For such is the nature of deception and deceit._

"_~ 'The way of the shinobi.' ~_"

Gray hair fell over the elder's face as she related this to Sakura, making the former's facial expression even more difficult to discern in the darkness of the night.

"Understand that shinobi are tools, Haruno-chan;" Chiyo continued, taking to her feet as the night wind came down in a sharp gust. "Let nothing that people tell you cloud this reality." The elder of the two then turned in the direction Kankuro disappeared into. "In war and battle, sacrifices must be made, and those that are to be sacrificed are not always aware of their roles."

Chiyo looked over her shoulder to look at the shaded genin:

"And not all information is meant to be heard, no matter how right it would be for the world to know."

Sakura, meanwhile, took all the elder's words in silence, and gave the woman no reply when the latter finished her tirade.

"But let us not waste any more time, Sakura-chan." Chiyo said in a more cheerful voice than what she last used. "The others should be waiting for us." She began to walk forward, but once again spoke when Sakura fell to step behind her:

"You ask me a difficult question, Sakura-chan." She once gain looked over her shoulder to look at the genin, her face being illuminated by the pale moonlight, this time. "For the way they are seen vary from person to person, but I believe that you are intelligent enough to seek that information out yourself…

"Let us go, yes?"

And they dashed off, the rubber soles of their sandals making the branches of the trees moan and wail as they went.

But ss they made their way in the direction they were told though, it became painfully obvious to the genin what unsaid message Chiyo related with her last words:

"_But I hope you are weary as you seek, for nothing is ever as it seems."_

_The Second Rule:_

_~ "Know thyself, this is half of victory" ~_

_~ "For it is when you know both that one's victory is secured." ~_

~TtT~

It is an important fact in the any profession that one must be aware of how things are expected to happen with regards to the aforementioned work.

In the same sense, it is important that a shinobi is knowledgeable of the inner workings of the jutsu, weapons, and tools he or she uses in and out of combat.

In line with this, it is also expected that the Prince of Rain is aware of what outcome he is to expect from the jutsu he just used on the injured Deidara.

Much to his irritation, though, the outcome was anything but.

As the royal took in the sights around him- the injured Anko who held the unmoving Kazekage in her arms, the eyes of Shingi that flashed behind the bushes, to the stillness of the Akatsuki member that stood impaled upon his arm- he found himself scowling as his attention was brought to focus upon the very human whose blood stained his robes and the ground bellow.

Grayish-purple eyes literally flashing in the night as the Prince's growing ire accompanied the sizzle coming from Deidara's wound:

"Impossible," He said. "How could you have made a substitution without my noticing, and without my being able to see where you went?"

The sound of sizzling grew stronger, the Prince's scowl deepening and the grin on Deidara's substitute widening as the offending sound increased in volume.

"I don't think that really matters, yeah." The clone told the Prince. "I certainly expected you to make a move once you noticed that I was running out of clay, most people usually do." It let loose a chuckle as shards and dust flew from its mouth while its skin and cloths faded to white.

Cracks began to spread from the hole through the clone's abdomen as it spoke its next words:

"That's why I got this thing ready just in case." There came a sudden gust of wind which whipped at both the creatures that stood in the clearing, tearing dust from the clone and joining them with the free-moving wind.

"Of course, there's more to me than what you see." The clone's eyes widening as it said this to the Ame royal. "For just like all my brothers, I was made to detonate." Wind howled and the trees cried out in pain as the Prince's scowl was accompanied by an ever so slight twitch of his left eyebrow.

It was then that the Akatsuki clone's body began to bloat, the now malleable clay that made up its body enveloping the prince's hand.

"The explosion will cover an entire kilometer, yeah." The clone told the prince with a maddening laugh. "You will not be fast enough to get away, and even if you did, there would be no way that you would be able to take all the people here with you or even warn the other rescuers of what's coming!

"You're wrong, Prince or Rain,

"It is _I_ that has _you_ now!"

The wind grew even stronger as the Prince replied the clone's words with a growl, a scarlet glow bursting from where the clay connected with the Prince's arm and spreading through the cracks like liquid.

"You shall do no such thing," the Prince said to the clone, his voice unnaturally calm for one whose features seemed to express such blazing anger. "For even if there is no blood within your body to burn, I shall make true what I said before."

The Prince withdrew his right arm from the clay depths, revealing to all the black, sanguine, and gold that blazed and the sizzling that came with it.

"I shall not give you the time needed to destabilize your chakra." The Ame national said. "I commanded that you become ash," The fiery hand was then drawn back, the fires turning oddly stiff so that its three colors would converge to a single black point just past the Prince's fingertips.

And with a hiss of evaporating liquid, the flames pierced through the clay once more, the ruby glow that faded when the Prince's claw was withdrawn returned empowered, spreading from the new puncture as the web-like cracks covered the clone's entire surface.

"_And ash you shall become._"

The air heated up around him, radiating outward and making all those around feel the unseen flame. And as the lashing wind carried the hot air to those approaching, the glow of blood consumed the exploding clone in a brightness that caused all present to cover their eyes and all coming to stare in surprise.

And there was night, the darkness blanketing over all in the forest as the scarlet light faded with the ash and the moon was smothered by the trees above.

The Prince's grayish-purple eyes flashed once as he said the third rule:

"_But know all heaven and know all earth, and then shall one's victory become complete."_

~TtT~

No longer possessing a body, Akasuna no Sasori could no more feel any form of physical sensation, not the cool of the night air, not the pain of all the damage that had been inflicted up on him, and most certainly not the feel of the wind as it blew past him.

But he could see the world, he could hear its sounds, and he could feel his mind and heart whenever something overcame him.

And as he stood unmoving with the black mist blowing past him and filling every crevice of the rock around him, he felt human again, feel old emotions rise up in a tidal wave: He felt a satisfaction that he could not clearly describe, once he felt when he knew he furthered a cause he fought for.

-One that was definitely not Akatsuki's.

And then, there was also anticipation of what was to come next. He was dying, he knew that, and even though he lived much longer than he originally thought when his grandmother took her puppets' blades through him, he knew he did not have much longer.

Yet despite all this, he was still here. Sasori fancied himself taking a deep breath as he thought on what was to come, for the black mist told him all he needed to know.

And it was when the black mist thickened and black, purple, and red eyes stared at him through the darkness, did Sasori's anticipation come to and end.

"Good evening, Akasuna no Sasori." -Said his master, with a voice that told of smirk hidden in the black. "I trust that it has been a _productive_ evening?"

The dying shinobi gave no response as another gust blew past.

"I shall take your silence as a yes." The amethyst slits of his pupils radiated coldly before the master spoke again. "Now tell me, old friend, _did you give it_?"

"Yes, Lord Maelstrom."

Black teeth gleamed in the moonlight as Maelstrom's smirk turned to a grin.

"Excellent work, Sasori, your success here will serve as a foundation in the family's work in the coming months." Maelstrom bowed. "I thank you for your service."

Reddish-brown eyes started at the creature in the black mist for a moment with only the howling wind making any form of sound.

Then the scorpion asked:

"If I may, why her?"

Maelstrom's grin turned feral. Laughing, he said:

"We hope that the seeds of doubt that have been sown in her and her lingering regret for her teammate's disappearance will spur her to make use of the information held within Uzumaki's letters. She was the best candidate we could think of that would remain with Konoha in light of what we have planned in the near future.

"But enough prattle; you must sleep, son of sand." Said the master has his iron claw pulled Sasori's heart piece from the puppet.

"For your next call to service will come _soon_ _enough_."

~TtT~

The rescue party met further east from the forest clearing in which the Prince had eliminated the exploding clone.

Anko found herself watching the Prince's actions carefully after his victory, mainly noticing the black wrapping that now covered his right arm from the elbow down.

"We're done here." -Was what he told her as he offered her his left hand. "Let's meet the others now." And he told all those around them the same thing as he helped her up and Shingi took the Kazekage in the latter's own arms.

And they made their way to the plains east of where they the Prince had agreed upon with all the others via Anko's intercom.

"It's good to see the both of you made it, Do, Sui." The Prince nodded to each Storm Guard respectively as they appeared with Temari, Matsuri, Kankuro, Kakashi, and Sasuke. "I trust that you are all alright?" it was then that the Ame royal turned to see Kakashi being held up by the latter's student.

"Shattered ankle, Hatake-san?" The Ame male queried with a raised eyebrow. "We can't let that hemorrhaging continue now, can we?" purple eyes turned to the young Uchiha. "Please lay him next to the Kazekage; councilman Shingi should be able to help you with him." The speaker raised his bundled arm: "I would help him myself, but as you can see, I am not disposed to do so.

"Chikushodo, Tendo, please do fetch the remaining three that have yet to arrive;" He said to the two foxes that sat upon the branches of the tree where Gaara and Kakashi were laid. "I do not wish to waste any more ti-."

"No need for that, Prince-sama." -Called the voice of Chiyo as she and Sakura dropped from the southwestern treetops. "…-For we are already here."

The Prince sent both females a shallow bow as they settled in with the group, Sakura immediately moving to tend to her sensei as Shingi stepped back to allow her room to move; Kankuro turned to speak with Sari, Doki began answering whatever questions the Storm Guard members were asking him, and the Suna elder looked at the Kazekage in silence.

"Haruno-san," Green met purple when she turned to answer his call. "Once you have healed Hatake-san to a tolerable degree," The royal's eyes immediately shifted to observe Temari as he said his next words. "Would you please give us the formal pronunciation of our objective's untimely death?"

This statement was followed by silence from most of those present, stares of surprise from Temari, and the Konoha males, and a rather horrified look from a certain Kiokure Matsuri, the last of whom was being distracted form the Kazekage's state by Doki, and the other two guards.

The brown-haired genin drew in a sharp breath, one that sounded shaky when her teeth began to shatter; the prince's eyes shifted from the kage's blonde sister to then rest on the latter's student as Temari grabbed hold of Matsuri, wrapping her arms around the younger girl's shoulders when the latter's knees gave way.

He could sense the sudden despair overcome the student in a very familiar way, but he remained silent, all of them remained silent as Matsuri began to sob into the night.

It was several minutes before Sakura, kneeling beside her sensei, asked, making him turn form the mourning girl to face the medic:

"Is there truly a need for me to do so?"

A pause before replying:

"No."

In all this, few had noticed the elder close her eyes in contemplation or the resolve that sparkled after she opened them once again.

She then told all present as she moved to kneel at the kage's side.

"It is not too late to save him yet."

The words were met with silence as most did not understand what she meant, and those that did chose to observe.

All but one:

"You're sure of this?" The Prince asked her, his lips pulled down ever so slightly. "No doubts linger to influence what you are about to do?"

The grandmother shook her head. "I have already spent too much of my life regretting and doubting, making mistakes and making innocents suffer for them.

"It is _my_ time to atone for all that I have committed." She took a deep breath before placing her hands on Gaara's chest, chakra flaring to life and lighting up the moonlit darkness around them. "Killing Sasori was one, and making sure Gaara-kun makes it back to Suna alive is another." She let loose a dry chuckle.

"This has been my first mission in over twenty years, and this shall be my last."

And the Prince's response?

"Very well, may you have earned the peace you seek, Chiyo-baa-sama."

And then the rain fell, crying for the death that was to come, death born of decades of regret, remorse, and suffering.

* * *

_**Questions:**_

What do you suppose the Amekage meant when he told his son to "awaken from the dream?"

I have just added several new clues for you to make use of in your guesses, not all of them need be pointed out, but I'm sure you're answers should change if I ever ask who the Amekage is now, no?

There was a mention at the end of the first three scenes of the "three rules." What are your ideas with regard to its meaning, and how it affects your opinions of the Prince?

Also, there was an excerpt here from the fictional "Old shinobi code." What are your thoughts on the meaning of the rule?

As a writer, I have a good deal of insecurities with the last scene, I would like your opinion of how I did it, whether or not it was smooth, if it settled right with you as a reader, or if it just seemed odd.

I certainly hope you noticed that I tried to put as much "Prince Time" as possible into this chapter, mainly so you guys can get a better feel of his character and to prepare you for the next arc, where you will be seeing him more frequently. What do you think?

Lest question:

How was the read?


	23. Encountering: One

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and you already know what I would do if I did.

* * *

_**Greetings all;**_

Here is this week's update, and the first part of the two-chapter interlude between the first and second arcs.

This chapter, though, is still considered a part of the second arc despite its purpose to connect the two better.

I also believe there are a good number of treats in this chapter for those with good enough insight to see the fair number of clues I have left behind here.

* * *

_**Review Responses:**_

Now, before I even start giving my responses to specific reviews, I would like to tell you that I am _**very**_ thankful for your answering the questions that I post at the end of each chapter; as I've already mentioned before, these questions serve to tell me if the thoughts, ideas, and – most importantly –the clues are getting across to you, dear readers, so as I can think of more ways to drive this story on while still keeping informed enough to have something to go with.

So please continue to answer what questions I post as best you can as I _do_ make use of the information you give even if I cannot always tell you if our answer is right or wrong (I don't want to spoil the story by saying if you got the right answers).

Moving on…

RogueNya – an interesting thought, considering that this is the first time I've heard that theory (the only other close to it was the idea that Minato never died). I will say though, that additional information for this theory won't come until well past the third arc.

pharix – You are not the first person to express frustration over this; it is no longer surprising but it is not bad either.

snowecat – Thank you for pointing that out; your observation has been noted, though I am just too much of a lazy bum to go back and edit it. :P

Pekan – I find your answer to the last question interesting, and am glad to tell you that your reply to the first is close to the intended meaning.

Legend of Namikaze Naruto – Now, (I'm sure you already know what sort of answer to expect when I begin my sentences with this word) I thank you very much for your pointing out the grammatical error and it has been noted so that I may avoid it in future updates. You are welcome for the Prince time. For the exclamation, I already planned out that the Prince would serve as a bit of a counterweight to the belief most of Naruto's "good guys" have. I seek to present a character that could break the usual archetype of the series. I am not sure if I have managed to achieve this, but I hope to be able to in the future where the Prince's character will be expounded. Sari is a Suna genin; a minor character that only appears once in the manga and twice or thrice in the anime for as far as I can remember (Unless you would rather I have an OC fill the –also minor – role she will play in the story, she will stay) Lastly, with regard to the GaaMatsu I hinted at in the last chapter… I will accept your berating without argument. Forgive me for expressing my favor of the pairing, but I don't have that many plans for Gaara in the story (at least in the social aspect), and I had already planned out some of the pairings. Once again, It thank you for the input as I've always thoroughly enjoyed our discussions regarding pairings ^_^.

Jojororo – A portion of your concern will be addressed soon; not this chapter but soon, nonetheless.

Winnow – You have my greatest thanks for addressing all the questions I posed in the last chapter and adding a little more information yourself. Yes, Maelstrom is indeed a different entity from Uchiha Madara, though the question of whether or not they know of each other remains unanswered. The statement with regard to the Prince looking like the fourth Hokage is actually a double-sided clue. Unfortunately, you picked up the side that functioned as a trap; may I ask if you have other ideas with regard to Anko's statement? Lastly, I thank you for your commendation; I aim to confuse and confound, driving the reader's curiosity to its limits with my work, and knowing that you have enjoyed reading this as much as you have enjoyed solving it brings me great joy.

Rise Against713 – I thank you for our input and I am glad that you are looking deeper into question of Naruto's identity.

poloport, bakapervert, Crypton89 – I'm sorry for the long, unsaid, hiatus, but I've been busy. I hope you like this chapter, though.

Naruto The Highlander - *sigh* And as for you… Looking at the inference of your reviews first line, I can conclude that you have not even bothered to check the chapter first before writing up another response to me. I just hope to make you aware of what thoughts you have got me thinking. Please take note that what I say in my disclaimer and what happens in the story are two very different things. As a writer of fanfiction, I consider the smooth movement of the story to hold higher priority than any misgivings I may possess to any of the characters. I had once mentioned in earlier chapters that I also hate Sasuke quite a bit, but despite this – had you read through the story – you would see that I actually gave Sasuke a major role to play. In light of this, chapter fourteen (14) contains a scene with team Kurenai's interaction with both the Prince of Rain and the Bloody claw, and I do believe I have enough confidence to say that there was no bashing involved. Please also remember that you are free to not read this story should it not appeal to your tastes at all, but it gives you no right to flame me over something I said in a disclaimer, which only expresses my own views and not what happens in this story. I shall be waiting on your reply to this, _**Highlander.**_

And to everyone that reviewed last chapter _**– Thank you**_

Let us now continue to our feature presentation; you have my thanks for reading through the notes and responses above.

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster

* * *

_

**Interlude:**

**_Chapter Twenty-three:_**

**Encountering: One  
**

"_Death is the gift granted to the worthy, and we are exalted upon attaining it._

"_For it is in life that we are tested most, where pain and suffering is the cup from which we drink._

"_I do not fear death,_

"_And as long as the heart of the house beats within me, I shall strive to earn mine with the honor befitting my station and my blood._

"_And when your time comes, I hope that you shall do the same. _

"_Death is __**our**__ reward, remember that, Naruto._

_-last words of Namikaze Minato _

~TtT~

Thunder resounded through the deserts of the Land of Wind, dust coming high and sharp as five horses rode in from the North-east, going through the hot sands despite the blazing flare of the midday sun and the weight of their armored riders.

The first rode front and center of the group, the blazing skull of shogun Urashima Keitaro imprinted upon the banner -fluttering with the desert winds- upon the former's back. The rider's red armor glaring in the harsh light coming from the sun, making the samurai appear radiant, and shadowing the scowling mask under the helm.

The other four rode in box formation behind the leader, the golden dust rising to further hide the parts of their body that the cloak of dried grass and the leather hoods over their heads could not conceal with only the shining red and gold embroidery of fire that formed the standard of the Urashima shogunate showing through; the only color coming from the cloud.

To anyone that stood and looked at the five riders from afar, it would seem as though the first horseman was followed only by four fiery banners that followed of their own accord.

And onward the five went, their mounts moving with unrelenting speed through the heat, the wind, and the sand; charging southwest towards the center of the Land of Wind.

-towards the Village Hidden in the Sand.

~TtT~

Hours preceding, the evening sky tinted slight purple as the first slivers of the coming dawn began to mingle with the remaining darkness of the night before.

The Prince was first to speak when the fifth Kazekage's teal eyes opened to see life a second time:

"From death springs life anew." –the royal stated with a nod in his friend's direction before the purple gaze trained to the female elder, whose dry pants were faded by the cloudless rain that continued to fall.

"You have but minutes left to live, elder; I'm quite sure that you are aware of that." Ame's prince then dropped to his knees and rested his weight upon his ankles, his remaining usable hand forming a seal that forced the earth before him to elevate, and taking a scroll from within his vest, he opened it and lay it across the makeshift table. "Is there anything you wish me to tell your brother, or perhaps the people of Suna before the God of Death takes you?"

The casual way in which the Prince voiced his query caused the Konoha ninja to stare at him in surprise.

Anko felt a reprimand rise in her throat that was only hindered by her feeling out of place scolding someone such as the Prince when Chiyo's dry laughter hit the special jounin's ears:

"You always had a morbid sense of humor, Rikudo-sama." The old woman said as she moved to lie down as Gaara was helped up by Kankuro and Temari seated herself to the Prince's left.

"It's not that you ever took death seriously, Chiyo-baa-sama." The royal replied. "I thought to humor you." The Prince's lips pulled into an ever-so-slight smirk. "A gloomy death does not suit, elder."

And then the smirk fell away.

"But remember that the offer stands irregardless; I shall deliver whatever words you wish sent, as I doubt the God of Death would allow you enough time to make it back to Suna alive."

Chiyo nodded then looked into the brightening sky to gather her thoughts while the Prince turned his attention to those from the Hidden Leaf.

"The question I asked elder Chiyo is something that is frequently asked to people in my country that are about to face death while they are far from home." His back remained turned to the Konoha nationals as he said this. "Death is something commonplace, especially in the history of my home and there have been many cases that those dying wish for messages to be delivered to their cherished.

"It is a practice of my family, and standard operating procedure to all shinobi and samurai of Amegakure that was implemented so that those that would never see home again could leave this world with fewer regrets then they would have had if they could not have this last reprieve."

There was a pause as the Prince used his only functioning hand to take a cylindrical lacquer case and place it atop the stone table.

"Temari," He called to her, the female genin immediately lifting her eyes to stare at the male's blond hair. "I am denied the use of my right hand;" the Prince's left hand pressed on the jade shard that protruded from the top and forced it to move to one side, a rectangular-shaped section of the cover moving with it, revealing to any who could see that the gem was in fact the upper part of a brush.

He handed Temari the brush, saying: "You shall write in my stead. Use the contents of this container as ink."

Purple eyes once again focused on the elder as the royal queried with a voice chilled in a formality that matched the frigid rain:

"Time runs short, elder, and I sense the God of Death grows impatient with your tarrying.

"Speak your final peace."

~TtT~

It was dry by then, the rain ending shortly after the Chiyo closed her eyes for the final time; the Prince taking the scroll from Temari and, pocketing it, commanded the two Storm Guards to carry Chiyo's body home as they made their way back to the village.

Upon returning, prince Rikudo immediately commanded the foxes to gather all who would come, fetching the most important attendees first.

"Let us make this quick," he said to the ninja he arrived with. "I think she would have preferred it that way."

Chiyo's younger brother agreed wholeheartedly.

The funeral they held later that day was a silent affair, hastily put together and quickly concluded; beginning with her immediate burying which was then followed by eulogies from Ebizo, Councilman Shingi, and the fifth Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, majority of the citizens that attended left.

Now, it was only the rescue team that remained, each one wrestling with different thoughts, different ideas, or even different endings to this most recent mission they had completed.

But one thing on all their faces remained paramount until the first word was spoken:

-Respect.

And as for the first words uttered, though, it was the Prince that voiced his thought first:

"I am not aware of how you may feel towards this mission," he – who had been standing at the far left-hand edge of the group of sixteen – turned to face all of them. "But I think it would be fair that you all unwind tonight." He faced the tombstone several meters before him, bowed, then spun on his heel to leave, the foxes mirroring their master's actions.

"Death is a part your profession, stopping to suffer its every occurrence will destroy you without fail." He quickly added before anyone could say a response, not even bothering to look over his shoulder as he added: "Celebrate life for every moment it remains, and be happy that you are still here."

He continued to walk with his pets, unmoving or uncaring at the gazes directed at him.

"I will be buying out the restaurant located just a little east of the village's northern gate; Temari knows the way." He stopped a moment, and finally turned to face the rest of his compatriots: "Dinner will be served at eight, and I hope to see you all there."

It was at this point that the prince – along with everyone else, for that matter – stopped to take in the sounds of approaching chaos from the eastern gate, eyebrows rising and furrowing together as the echoes on the ensuing chaos thundered closer to them.

It was shortly after the sound came did the horses appear on the horizon.

"It appears, Kazekage-san," the Prince said as he turned around and made his way back to the group he had just separated from. "That you have visitors." He sent the red-haired teen a smirk. "May I suggest that you come to meet them?"

There was a feminine laugh that broke through the silence that followed the Prince's words, the lot turning to see the leading horseman pull at her mount's reins so that the beast would halt just a little shy of colliding with the Ame royal; the four other riders managing to slow their own horses to stop behind their leader, despite breaking the original formation to do so.

"It's a little late for that, prince Rikudo." -Said the armored woman to the man who stood before her. "As Lord Kazekage no longer has time to make a decision." Gauntleted hands released the leather straps that were fastened to the horse to remove the red and gold kabuto that rested atop her head, long black hair framing the scowling bronze mask when the confining helmet was removed.

The prince spoke once more while the woman's right hand – the left holding her helm – attended to the knots that held the mask in place:

"Good day to you, then, Lady Urashima Motoko." The royal sent her a shallow bow. "May I ask, though, why you carry Lord Keitaro's banner?" the Prince's purple gaze meeting the woman's brown as the mask was cast off to show the twenty-year-old's white complexion.

"I am here to attend to business in my husband's stead, prince." She told him wile her lips curled up slightly. "All the work he has undertaken lately has left him rather under the weather as of the last few days, and I have requested that he rest until his fever has lifted."

The woman's response caused the one of the Prince's brows to rise and the infantile smirk that danced across his lips to vanish:

"Lord Keitaro is sick?" He asked her. "Why was I not informed?"

Motoko's smirk grew as she gave the man her answer: "He is suffering of nothing more then a slight cold, _doctor of the house_; it is nothing a little bed rest will not take care of."

There was a moment of silence then, prince Rikudo scrutinizing her facial expression for a short moment before nodding to her and returning the smirk:

"Very well, I suppose the _Lady of the house_ would be better equipped to care for her husband than I, and that Lord Shogun trusts her enough to let her run his continent while he remains in bed."

She laughed: "Unlike you, Lord Rikudo, my husband is more willing to allow his sole wife reign over his work when needed then you are with all the brides you have taken."

A pause…

"Well, with the exception of your favorite, that is."

It was the prince, this time, that gave the shogun's wife a lightly humored laugh:

"Perhaps that is the case, but as a change of topic, as I would rather not discuss the intricacies of my married life in public: May I inquire as to what business you are here to attend to?"

"Yes, you may." She replied, her free hand reaching into one of her mount's saddlebags and taking out a rectangular package that was wrapped in brown paper. "This is from you mother;" Motoko passed it down to the prince's waiting fingers. "I ran into her as I left the mansion, and she asked that I give this to you should I pass you by while I was in Suna.

"They are the invitations for your coming birthday party."

"Thank you." He told her with a bow. "I shall take care of the rest in this regard, then."

Motoko gave the royal a nod before turning to the Kazekage:

"I also have business with you, Sabaku no Gaara."

These words, of course, transferred all the attention the Prince and the samurai woman were getting from those present to the red-haired kage that stood between Kankuro and Matsuri:

"Of course," he told the mounted one with a shallow bow. "Would you like to discuss this in my office, or would you rather that we talk with the daimyo present?"

The woman shook her head in response, saying:

"Neither, Kazekage," her hand disappeared into the saddle bag once more as she continued: "What I am here to discuss only has to do with the ninja aspect of the Land of Wind, and whatever formalities that required that hand of the feudal lords have already been taken care of by my husband." She grinned at the kage when her hand's movements stopped, telling all who gazed at the scene that she had found what she sought.

"I, Urashima Motoko, wife of Urashima Keitaro, continental shogun, am _very_ pleased to present you, Sabaku no Gaara, Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure, with this:"

She handed him a scroll, one sealed by the sigil of the shogunate, and the shogun's personal seal:

"This scroll is an invitation to the newly reinstated chuunin exams that are to take place on the first month of next year; we hope that you will be able to come with all your candidates for promotion." She then added when Gaara took the scroll from her grasp: "You'll find the rest of the details inside."

~TtT~

The four ninja that composed the Konoha group, with Tsunade having preferred to help at the hospital with the remaining injured, walked aimlessly through the streets of Suna, having wordlessly decided to do so after the encounter with the shogun's wife.

The walk was silent for a while, the genin taking in the sights of another shinobi village, Kakashi reading out of his newest book, and Anko eying the scroll that she was asked to deliver.

"Can someone tell me again why, of all the Konoha-nin that came here, _I_ was selected to present this to Hokage-sama?" –she asked her companions in general.

"I'm not entirely sure, Anko," voiced Kakashi as he read through another spread of the book and turned a page before adding: "Maybe it's because you're involved with the Prince?"

Now, this statement got raised eyebrows and surprised looks from Sasuke and Sakura as both teens shared a glance before turning their attention from the scenery to the two jounin.

"Involved?" Anko asked her senior. "If you consider giving the prince a tour of our village, and going with him on this mission we're on, then fine, we're involved." She flicked her wrist and looked at the scroll as it flipped through the air and catching it with her other hand. "But that still doesn't seem like a good enough reason to have me be the courier for this rolled-up piece of paper.

"All things considered, you have more of a reputation – international-wise – than I do, so I don't see why it's not you that's do-."

"Ah, but you forget, Anko-chan," Kakashi interrupted, flipping another page as the four made a right turn. "The Prince recommended you to lady Urashima when she asked him who should bring the scroll to the Hokage, and I somehow get the feeling that she places the Prince's opinion in higher regard than she would any rumors she's heard of our country's ninja over the last few years."

"Then what about Tsunade-sama, then?" Anko sent her brown gaze to meet the sensei's black own. "She has highest seniority in our group, right?"

"That still takes us back to my last answer, Anko-chan." The jounin said with another flip of his book's pages. "And technically, you aren't part of our group, considering you were given an entirely different mission."

And at that, Anko could only sigh while it was Sakura who turned to Kakashi:

"So does that mean that Konoha's been invited to the chuunin exams?" Hearing that the team's sole Uchiha turned to the latter's teammate then to their team's leader as well.

"Are we entering, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked.

The jounin closed his pocketbook as he took a deep breath before answering his students with a shrug:

"I honestly don't know; the decision's going to be riding on whatever Hokage-sama decided." He then turned to both fifteen-year-olds, sending them a smile that could only be discerned because of the way his eyes creased. "Tell you what, though, if the Hokage ever gives the go signal, I'll make sure to be the first teacher to enter his team."

This was shortly followed by another question from Sakura:

"On the topic of attendances, sensei," the aforementioned instructor observed the grin forming on her face. "Will we be going to the Prince's dinner later this evening?"

"Thinking about it," Sasuke casually placed his right hand on his chin, tapping it. "Tsunade-sama told us to stay here another day for R and R, and I think Anko-senpai is to remain with the prince." The Uchiha looked at the purple-haired special jounin as though waiting for a confirmation.

Anko nodded.

"As much as I would like to go home, I'm stuck with the Prince until he returns to Konoha." The woman sighed slightly as the group walked on. "And I somehow get the feeling that he'll be staying here longer than you will by _at least_ a few more days."

"And that is certainly no loss on your part." Kakashi interjected with a laugh as he opened his book once more.

Purple brows drew together upon hearing the statement.

"And what do you mean by that, Kakashi-senpai?"

The unseen smirk under the instructor's mask widened as he replied:

"Oh nothing really," he turned another page of his book. "I just meant that the additional time here would give you more opportunities to increase your standing with Suna and, more importantly, the Urashima shogunate." Kakashi's smirk vanished after he said this, taking his eyes off his book and again meeting Anko's gaze seriously. "This is important for the future of Konoha, Anko, and to be honest, I would rather someone with more political experience be the one to do it, but you're the one in the best position to better relations with these people."

The elder kunoichi returned her senior's statement with a silent nod, continuing to walk with the rest of the group as Kakashi returned to his book, and the genin kept their attention on the elder pair.

But that was only until Sasuke decided to address a curiosity that had been clawing at his interest since the encounter with the shogun's wife:

"Sensei," he began, the calm tone he used prompting the attention of the other three to look to Konoha's last Uchiha who's right brow twitched as though something caught his attention. "On the topic of politics, could you give us some info regarding the shogunate?"

But no answer could be given as the grunt of a collision of people and the ring of a tiny bell was heard by the other three Konoha ninja.

Uchiha Sasuke found himself staring down at the sixteen-year-old girl that he had bumped into, the formerly raised eyebrow rising higher as he took in her red hair, red eyes, and black glasses.

He scrutinized her further, black eyes observing her tending to her injured rear as her other hand attempted to fix the disheveled yukata that she wore over her black turtleneck shirt.

It was at this point that Sasuke found himself smirking down at the girl on the ground.

* * *

_**Post-chapter Questions:**_

I had dropped an important clue last chapter, one that I feel many had either failed to notice, or simply chose not to mention. I have reiterated this clue in a different form for this chapter and I hope that you notice it in its occurrence this time. The first question is: What is this clue and what importance do you suppose it has?

The "Continental Shogun" has been mentioned in at least one of the previous chapters, but it is only in this update that the OC has started to take up his role; what sort of influence do you suppose the shogun and his family have over the rest of the great shinobi nations, and how do you suppose they are related to the Land of Rain?

Now, I once asked where the name for the Shogun was taken from, can you tell me where I got his wife's name? (this has nothing to do with clues for the story)

What thoughts do you have on the interaction between the Prince and Lady Urashima? What information can be taken from the exchange that may be of importance later in the story?

It is suggested that the chuunin exams were barred over the past three years for reasons not mentioned in this chapter; what reasons do you suppose cause this? (Clues to answer this _**may**_ be found in chapters previous, but I cannot recall at this point in time)

-OoC, anyone?

The last two questions relate to the final scene between the Konoha-nin:

What are your thoughts of Anko's current position and the sway this may have over any coming events? (this is a vague question, I know, but just share what you think of it)

Who do you suppose the girl Sasuke bumped into was, and what are your thoughts on his apparent reaction to the encounter?

* * *

_**Final Note:**_

Now, I have gotten the feeling that many of you are curious and frustrated at all the questions this story poses. I encourage you to share them or voice them to me through your reviews. Please, I insist that you do.

Well, that ends this week's update for the Prince of Rain; I also wish to inform you that there will be no update next week as I will be working on my Code Geass: Now and Forever update.

I hope you liked this chapter.

Sincerely,

_Toph the Trickster_


	24. Encountering: Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… and can anyone please tell me why there wasn't an update last week?

* * *

Greetings all;

Here is this week's and last week's update for the Prince of Rain.

**Review Responses:**

Cenright – I very much agree with your statement, and I am slowly giving answers as we go along with the story. They may not be complete answers, but I think it's better than keeping all the holes even remotely filled.

Winnow – On this edited timeline, if Kakashi was fourteen or fifteen at the time of Minato's death, Anko would have been less than ten and still at the academy. I am curious, though; if you no longer feel that the prince is Naruto, then who do you suppose is? Or what do you suppose has happened to the latter? The idea of the toads is actually viable, if it weren't for the fact that Jiraiya is currently traveling.

snowecat – The line about the "Heart of the House" is no typo. It will make more sense once it is actually explained, but that will be in later chapters.

warriorx559 – you'll get your answer in this chapter.

OmegaThunderstorm – They are. I selected their names so that it would be easier to think of their characters and it would be easier for readers to relate to OC's that were made using such pre-existing characters as their base. Please note that this isn't a crossover, though. (at least not in my point of view)

The Foolish – I am not amused by your response to the question, but I am happy to know that you are making use of the clues to give me your opinion on the matter. And don't worry for if I have my way, I won't be dying anytime soon.

Rise Against713 – interesting relation to make with Ame and the shogunate, and your answer for that is actually rather close to the exact answer. As for who Sasuke bumps into, though, you'll get your confirmation in this chapter.

Crypton89 – Good to see you again, friend. And yes, the Prince has multiple wives.

Everyone who reviewed – Thank you very much!

Now, on to our feature presentation:

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster

* * *

**_

**Interlude:**

**Chapter twenty-four:**

**Encountering: Two**

"_The skillful one is he who is able to shorten battle._

"_One is more skillful if one is able to prolong an enemy's stay in combat while keeping one's own stay short._

"_But the most skillful of the three is he that can make his foe's battle last an eternity without having to fight at all."_

_-Inscription at the gates of Amegakure's shinobi academy_

~TtT~

"It's a refreshing sight, I think." –said the woman as she sat at the bow of the ship she rode, the edges of her robes fluttering over the edge as the strong sea air blew past her. "-To be able to enjoy things as simple as the sea breeze blowing past your hair and keeping the heat of the noontime sun at bay." She added as she used her hand to keep her whipping scarlet tresses from her face; she kept her attention on the growing figure before her.

"When one comes close to death, one learns to celebrate life everyday they get to keep it." She continued her monologue, her left hand moving to touch over her abdomen, where the yellow obi of her kimono was as it was her right that had been keeping her hair at bay.

She stood when the banner of the Land of Water could be identified, and the fires that burned in the decoration of the banner above it flashed in the golden light, the banner of the Urashima shogunate.

It was then she began to sing, her tone a mix of solemnity, and foreboding:

"_There are those fortunate to come close enough to Death to see the pallor of his face, to hear the humor of his cackle,_

"_But when one lives to tell the tale, a change occurs within their souls_

"_Life is a gift not to be neglected, but for those that have met the God of Death, it becomes precious all the more._

"_We come to wish to live a life worth living, to find a meaning to what may already be borrowed time._

"_For soon, the God of Death shall seek us out again, and when that happens,_

"_Demon God have mercy._

"_So celebrate life for all it's worth, remember that the time you have is short; remember that what you see now may be the last that you shall see._

"_Celebrate, my love, my life, and wait for me, for I shall do all I can to see you again, and when the time comes to take the hand of Death,_

"_I hope to pass while I am in your arms."_

~TtT~

The Kazekage – and any other kage for that matter – are known to take up residence in the very tower they work in, only moving out when another kage is to take their place.

Despite this, it is known that the family of the Godaime Kazekage held a large mansion where they resided prior to the third shadow's ascension to the position as head of the village; the building was large, easily comparable to the very kage tower Gaara now lived in and was divided into five wings.

Each wing could house up to ten people.

Sabaku no Temari was one of two that held the key to her wing of her family's mansion; thus, she would immediately notice if someone had entered her home while she was away. With regard to the other person to hold the key however, she knew that he was in town, and he would most likely have entered.

Deep sea-green eyes found themselves training to the space that was usually occupied by sandals and shoes, unsure of whether or not to see the only other space for footwear filled.

There was a pair of black sandals in the shelf next to hers.

_He's here_.

The realization did not cause panic, though, there was no reason to; and neither was there reason to think that it was someone else as the air the black pair footwear gave her was a familiarity only one person could give. So, at her usual pace, she removed her own sandals and placed them in her compartment and began to make her way down the main hallway, only breaking her steady speed to make a left at the second door to enter the living room, and another left to climb the stairs, the polished nightingale floor singing as she moved about and undoubtedly alerting the person she assumed was on the second floor.

_All things considered, _She thought as she checked the unlit halls that loomed beyond the stairs. _He should have noticed that I was coming while I was several meters from the door._ She was overcome by an odd, ominous feeling, something she was not accustomed to when he was in the apartment, considering the fact that he would already be going about his work at this time and that meant that the lights to the wing should already have been up.

The silence spoke to her as well as it was not common when both of them were around, or at least not when he would sense her entering their abode.

The silence continued its endless scream, only the singing of the nightingale accompanied it as the kunoichi took the right to head to the master's bedroom at the end of the walkway, the strange, oppressive foreboding weighing more and more heavily upon her as each foot got closer to culminate in one glorious high pitched note from a particularly old board right at the doorstep, the final warning to the person inside that there was someone that may have been unwelcome.

A clammy hand rose to grasp the bronze doorknob, which was then followed by the wail of the oaken door that took the place of the nightingale in the duet.

It was then that the silence left her to her now broken peace…

…- to hear the strangled coughs, the gurgling of liquids mixing with it as the person in the bedroom spit what could have been blood from his mouth.

Glowing, grayish-purple met sea-green:

"Temari…" –called prince Rikudo through the pitch black of their room.

Two gasps were drawn, a pained one from the prince as he grasped his damaged right arm and another from the Suna woman as she dropped to her knees beside him.

"My Lord," she hesitated to touch him, as though afraid she might make contact with anything she wasn't supposed to and cause him further pain. "You had an attack?" her brows knit together at the thought. "How cou-?"

"I burned through a little more blood then I should have." He said with a smirk that even she could see through the darkness, bringing his hand up so she could scrutinize it further, she removed the wrapping to assess the damage:

"-The Radiant Surge." Her fingers hovered over the burnt flesh that she knew was burnt all the way through and was nothing short of a charcoal log that was attached to the royal's body. She turned her eyes once more to the ringed glow that was the prince's and asked: "You used it to burn something that did not draw breath?"

"Ah" the man breathed, a few sharp hacks following it and Temari pulling away from him once he did so. "You've been studying my jutsu, I see." He gave her a nod. "That's good," -A pause. "And yes, I burned something that the Mabushiihadou should not have been used on."

The female blonde sighed at the man that lay before her who was capable to talking so casually despite the obvious loss of his right arm and the pain that he must have been holding back since the fight several ours ago.

"I wasn't in much pain, Temari," prince Rikudo told her, guessing the thought behind her expression as she looked at him. "I just reconnected the nerve upon entering the room." He closed his eyes, causing the darkness to fill the void that his glowing eyes left and leaving the room in complete blackness. "It was a little more pain then I had anticipated." -Another choked laugh. "Rather, it had slowed down my movements enough that you would find me like this."

"Lady Shoujouhi would throw a fit if she saw the way your look right now."

The Ame royal drew a shaky breath before replying to her words:

"My first wife isn't here, _Rikudo_ Temari." Through the darkness of the master's bedroom, she could feel his uninjured hand wrap its fingers around her own. "But my second wife is."

The kunoichi's hand returned the grip in greater force as both blonde's allowed silence to grant them piece for a short time.

That was before prince Rikudo drew a sharp gasp, let go of his spouse, and flipped unto his abdomen to vomit a thick pool of blood.

"My scrolls, Temari…" He asked of her, the metal-scented substance still dripping from his lips. "I need my scrolls to treat this; you'll find them-."

"…-Under your side of the bed." She finished for him as she crossed over him to pull his left arm up so that she could settle him unto the room's lone bed. She could feel the slick of liquid life pass her fingers the moment her right hand grasped the side of his abdomen, making her readjust her grip regularly so that he wouldn't slip back to the floor.

"You've been loosing a lot of blood, my lord." She pointedly told him as she lowered the former to the bed after the eternity it took to take his shuddering body there.

"I know that, Temari." He waved her off. "But it's too late to scold me for that now;" a gasp.

She shook her head, knowing he wouldn't see her do so anyway since his eyes were closed.

"That was not what I meant." She chided, bringing out the scrolls from the little chest under the bed and placing him on the nightstand. "You need to rest."

It was in response to her statement that the glowing, ringed eyes of the Prince of Rain opened to bring light to the dark room and stare into her own green gaze.

No communication was needed, not with Temari at least as she already understood the question his raised blonde eyebrow was asking her:

"Do you know how to treat me, then, Temari?"

A nod:

"Yes," she said. "Lady Shoujouhi taught me how to treat your condition in case you ever had an attack while she was not around." Her brows furrowed as she thought of how the just-completed mission went. "I don't understand, though, she told me that you would only suffer this under the most extreme conditions." Her eyes shined with curiosity: "What could possibly-?" the prince cut her off, saying:

"You will have to forgive me, Temari," he drew a sudden gasp which caused the kunoichi to stare at him in slight worry. "But some things are better left unmentioned."

The female blonde gave the prince no reply immediately, silently debating whether or not to press the man for answers; it was nearly half a minute later after deep green searched the glowing purple did she make her decision:

"Alright," She told him with a slightly exasperated sigh. Reaching to take the scrolls and open them, she laid a hand on her husband's forehead. "But at the very least, let me take care of you, my lord.

"I don't always get an opportunity such as this."

And the last thing Prince Rikudo of Ame felt before the world fell away were the lips of his second wife planting a light kiss upon his sweat-covered forehead.

~TtT~

Now, it was a well-known fact in the Village Hidden in the Leaves that Uchiha Sasuke was not easily attracted to human's of the opposite sex in a manner outside of professional. Even he was aware of that his attention wasn't something that could be caught easily, and flirting directed towards himself was usually brushed off or responded in a way that would lead to friendly conversation rather than anything else.

This also meant that people that knew him on a personal level weren't accustomed to his instigating social interaction the flirtatious kind.

So he thought maybe civility would be the better course of action here.

"Ah," he said, tilting his head to let his eyes meet the girl's red own. "Sorry about that; I didn't see you there." The Uchiha extended a hand to help her up; he kept his gaze trained to her as he waited for her reply:

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off, grabbing the offered hand an pulling so suddenly that the standing male almost fell on top of her rather than functioning as the support he intended to. "Just watch where you're going next time you walk around while talking with your pals." Her eyes were closed, she stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders then bending backwards on her back after getting back on her feet as the ring of a little bell could be heard with every movement of her head.

Consequently, she never got a good look at the person she had collided with, nor the people he was accompanied by.

"To be fair," the Uchiha informed the woman who still held his hand. "You should have been doing the same."

A scoff and another ring was heard before the older woman deigned to open her eyes to meet his, she not looking anywhere else yet.

"You can't blame me if I was running late for an appointment;" she told him: "You know how panic can sometimes do that to you."

Sasuke mirrored her previous gesture with a nod, his hand still holding hers.

"Then you can't blame me at all for getting lost in good talk with my companions here." He let go of her hand and gestured to the other three ninja that stood before him, eyeing her appearance as he waited for a reaction.

She was of fair height, less then half a head shorter than he was, her red hair combed straight on one side and ruggedly spiked on the other; eyes of the same color and shade as her hair looked through a pair of black-framed glasses as her gaze left his to get a better idea of who she had been dealing with.

It was after that did a pair of eyebrows shoot up.

"Ah, Konoha shinobi…" she whispered to herself in a volume that let them hear her anyway.

This statement, in turn, caused the Uchiha's right brow to rise in curiosity and the attention the other three placed on the girl Sasuke bumped into to heighten by several levels that resulted in the red-headed female getting several odd glances from the other three at the unexpected reaction.

She noticed, if her next words said anything:

"Not that it's a bad thing," she informed the quartet defensively, her words being accompanied by the waving of her hands – the one that was held having broken free of Sasuke's grasp – waving in front of her. "It's just unusual to see ninja from another village other than Ame walking around here." Then, as though to validate her statement to the four Konoha-nin, she added:

"All things considered, the politics between villages hasn't been all that stable since that exam three years ago."

It was an honest statement, factual in its nature and true in every respect. Distrust between the villages skyrocketed after the chuunin exams and that was why the shogun barred the tests for the past three years shortly after catching wind of it. Losses were suffered by all the nations who attended, as their representatives were still there when the failed invasion occurred, and the additional risks of holding it in the manner it was showed that there had to be neutral mediation to keep any unnecessary killings to a minimum.

Sasuke had done his share of homework regarding the odd twist in politics that occurred over the last three years, but there was still more he had yet to learn, more that the libraries of Konoha did not have or simply refused to share.

Now if only he could get more information…

"You make a good point there, little miss." Kakashi said, nodding before shifting his attention back to his book while Anko nodded in agreement to her senior's statement.

"Mistrust has been the rampant description of the opinions the villages have of each other through the past few years, indeed." The special jounin said. "I guess that's also the initial reaction some of the people from Konoha had when the Prince first came."

Three nods came from the remaining members of team seven, Sasuke turning back to the newly-found acquaintance:

"On the subject of villages, miss," he asked. "I was wondering if you could show me around town."

This odd statement, of course, got raised eyebrows and even stranger looks Konoha-nin to the point that Sasuke could almost feel the comment coming from Anko's mouth.

He anticipated this, and acted accordingly:

"This is my first time here, I do not know the area around the village, and - unfortunately for me – the Kazekage is too busy to provide us with anything better to do while he is off going about his work.

"I would be very thankful if you would humor me with the satisfaction of my curiosity."

Kakashi was smirking underneath his mask as he observed the way Sasuke spoke to the Suna girl.

_Someone's practicing his silver tongue. _He suppressed a bout of laughter. _And dare I say, you've improved a bit, Sasuke._

The jounin's attention was then transferred to the red-haired girl.

_Let's see how effective it was, shall we?_

The aforementioned female was silent for a short while, a hand moving to tap her forefinger against her lower lip as a she pouted slightly in thought. The rest of the group was in a similar state to Kakashi, waiting on whatever answer the girl would give the black-haired genin.

"Well," she told the Uchiha. "I said that I had an appointment that I was late for, but I don't think it will take too long to take care of," she informed him with a gesture, another ring being heard as she did so. "So if you're willing to wait for me to finish what I have to do, I don't particularly mind."

_It worked._

Sasuke nodded: "Well, I did help you up, it's the least you could do."

The girl let loose another scoff and a short laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself, shinobi-san." Her right foot took a step back as she prepared her body to turn about, placing her face in such an angle with the sun so that the desert light would bounce off the lenses of her glasses. "Helping me up isn't big enough a favor to get me to bother with giving you a tour." Her right hand reached up to adjust the placing of her glasses as her left went and grabbed Sasuke's sleeve.

"But consider the tour I'm going to give you a mutual satisfaction of curiosity."

And then she began to walk past the Konoha group to head in the direction she had been going prior to her unexpected collision. The Uchiha looked over his shoulder, as though wondering why the other three weren't following him.

Sakura was first to answer the question his furrowed eyebrows asked him:

"I have some things to ask sensei at the moment so I'll be staying with him." She told him with a tilted head and a little grin on her face which was then followed by Kakashi's own excuse:

"I have to head back to the hospital = anyway, Tsunade-sama wanted to get a more detailed report of what happened during the mission, and I think she may be done taking care of all the people there."

Sasuke found himself looking to the special jounin last, waiting for her answer.

Mitarashi Anko simply grinned at him mischievously:

"I don't want to butt in on your little _date_, Uchiha-chan." She stuck her tongue at him while her eyes sparkled with unheard laughter. "I'll head over to my hotel room, then maybe take a nap." She turned to the direction of the Kazekage's family estate and began her trek, leaving the remaining members of team seven to wave him off.

"See you three at the party later." Both departing ninja told the two that remained.

And as Kakashi saw his male student fade into the crowd of busy people, he found himself wondering if it was alright to let Sasuke move around in a village they had no allegiance to without anyone to help him should he get into trouble.

~TtT~

"So," the last Uchiha asked the girl that was dragging him through the village by his sleeve, all traces of the smirk he wore in the conversation previous gone. "Do you mind if I ask what business you're supposed to take care of here?"

"Hmm?" she asked him, looking over her shoulder as she waited for a reiteration of the question she had not heard clearly enough to answer straight away.

There he heard it again.

That ring, that soft and weak ring that undoubtedly came from a small bell that sounded at almost each movement she made, the sound which could cut through all the noise that should have drowned it out.

"I asked you what business you had to attend to here."

"Oh," she replied with a look of realization. "I'm just here to ask about what people think of the rice my family sells here."

"You're not from around here, then?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask, wondering how she would be able to take him for a tour if she was as much a foreigner as he was.

The rhythmic jingle of the unseen bell she wore filled his ears as she shook her head in response: "I'm not a citizen here, shinobi-san, but I spend four months of the year living in this village to oversee the work at my family's store so I should know enough about this village to satisfy your curiosity."

He sent her a nod unconsciously despite knowing that she was no longer looking at him.

"Yes, well, would you stop calling me 'shinobi-san.' I have a name, you know."

The pair stopped walking then, the red-haired female turning around and bowing to him while her face turned red in embarrassment. It was considered rude among most merchants – if not rude in general – to not introduce oneself especially considering the amount of interaction they have had without doing so.

The daughters of merchants were no exception.

"Ah, sorry about that, my name is…-"

Sasuke would not give her the time to finish, presenting his right hand to her to offer a handshake as a smirk graced his visage once more; he spoke:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akiudo Karin, my name is Uchiha Sasuke."

~TtT~

"_You seek to learn the truth, Uchiha-chan?_

"_I shall humor you, then._

"_At Suna there is a merchant's daughter, you will recognize her by the red color of her hair and the fire in her eyes._

"_-Though those fires are guarded, she has some of the answers you seek._

"_How you shall go about getting them from her is up to you, but allow me to tell you this:_

"_She can't give you anything of use if you don't know what you are looking for."_

_-Prince Rikudo of Ame

* * *

_

**Notes:**

-The tune that can be used to match the woman's song in the first scene is the song "_**Garden of Life**_." In case you may want to have an idea of how the song might sound. On his note, please say if you wish to know what music goes with what scene while I am writing it.

_**The Nightingale Floor**_ – a special type of wooden floor that was constructed in such a way that stepping on it would cause the nails to rub hidden clamps; this would normally result in the floor "singing."

* * *

**Post-Chapter Questions:**

What is your opinion of the account at the start of this chapter? What does it tell of Ame as a shinobi nation? And what is your understanding of its meaning?

Now, it should be noted by the reader that the first scene was vague, as it was planned to be. Focusing on the scene's only present character (the woman), what can you tell of her person with what little description was given and the song that she sung?

On the subject of the song, what messages do you feel it was imparting, and what significant points do you suppose it might possess?

Did you listen to "Garden of Life" while you read the song? If so, how do you feel the selected tune matches the lyrics?

The second scene holds significance over several fronts of the story, ranging from questions and clues to the personality of the Prince. But with regard to the writing, I had attempted to implement a technique I use on my Code Geass stories into the scene that being the method of description. Tell me, please, what was the feel that the scene gave you overall? How did it affect your emotions as you read through it?

Plot-wise, what is your opinion on what happened to the prince, the way he acted, and the condition he was in at the time?

What does this scene tell you of the Prince?

Third and fourth scene's are correlated in a way, considering it contains coinciding characters and take place right after the other.

I am actually a bit insecure about how the interaction between the characters went, and I am aware that Karin is out of character in both scenes, but I would very much like the reader's opinion on this, (w/o the OOC factor for Karin) how did the scene actions and dialogue feel to you? Was it smooth?

Kakashi mentioned Sasuke's practicing of his "Silver Tongue." What do you suppose this is, and for what purpose would the Uchiha do so?

Also, how does this scene show the character difference between Uchiha Sasuke in this story and pre-shippuuden canon?

Over the course of the two scenes, there has been recurring mention of a ringing bell. Now, what do you suppose this is? (Vague question)

What do you think of the Karin here?

Many times you readers have asked me what happened to the conversation between Sasuke and the Prince back in Konoha at the start of the previous arc, and that is partially answered in this chapter. Please note that the account at the end of the chapter is only a small segment of what was said.

For the question relating to the last scene and the account, what "truth" do you suppose Sasuke is seeking, and what role do you suppose this truth might play in the coming arc?

* * *

And that ends this week's update for PoR.

Now, I wish to inform you that I will not be able to update in the next to weeks as my finals are quickly approaching and "Hell Week" starts next week.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	25. Looking Back and Looking Forward

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and I have nothing else to say on the matter.

* * *

**Pre-chapter notes / slight rant:**

_**Greetings all,**_

I know it has been nearly (possibly over) a month since my last update, but I have been rather busy as of late; what with hell week, then finals, then other stuff that had to be done over the break.

Now, as for that rant part…

Looking at the manga (at least as far as I have come to understand it) and comparing it to a good deal of fanfiction I see, I have found a lot of fics that tend to demonize Danzo and Konoha's High Council (or whatever name they may have as the name is sometimes objective).

I mean, are they really so bad in the view of the majority?

Forgive me if I have offended any of you, but I just couldn't help but point it out, and I figured that with the contents of this chapter being close to home, I decided to finally bring it up now.

Yes, Danzo doesn't believe in emotion. Yes, he feels that it is a weakness. Yes, the council seems to act to get in Naruto's way, but they _do_ believe that it's for the best, yes?

Looking at it from that angle, I feel that they seem more like overly-strict parents then evil demon's out to get the main character.

Just curious as to you opinion of this, as it would appease my restlessness greatly to understand better why everyone in this fandom _seems_ to hate them so much.

**Review Responses:**

NotPaimon - Thank you for the well-wished, and I hope to hear from you again once this story has reached completion.

SomebodyLost – Oh, I don't want to spoil things for you *smirk*, though I'm very glad that you have found my story amusing.

Cenright – I'll have to agree on you there with the comment on Ame, as looking at their history, it is very possible that they have held on to that little bit of pessimism that should have sunk in after all the strife they have experienced. You have an interesting view of Konoha, though, but I'll also have to agree that you make a good point. Throughout the series, it as been clear that Konoha has had one of the highest standards of living among the Shinobi Nations, and it has come to make me wonder how this will affect their ability to deal with deeper parts of war. The third war didn't seem to really reach the village, after all.

warriorx559 – A very likely possibility (referring to Karin)

Rise Against713 – in response to your question, I will not give an exact number, but I will say that the Prince has married no less than four times in the last three years between canon and the story. I'm not going to say anything about the Booty call *laugh*; though I will say that the silver tongue isn't so much a seducing technique as it is simply the ability to smooth talk anyone. This is already a clue as to what role Sasuke may play in the future.

DragonMasterFlex – lol, thank you, and I'm glad that you like it; I shall do my best.

Winnow – As always, Winnow, you provide me with the most interesting of ideas with regard to what signals my clues are sending. (you also - much to my misfortune – do not give me that much room to answer you without giving too much away) Now, with the comment on Shikamaru, a friend of mine had also said something about that, but I will have to point out that in this storyline, Shikamaru and Temari have not had the opportunity to interact all that much after the chuunin exams; considering the fact that both sides remained as either neutral or hostile towards each other did not help this along much, either. Subsequently, this prevented any attachments from forming. You pose a valid point with your arguments about the Prince not being Naruto, and I agree with them. Despite this, I cannot say whether or not you are correct. The Sandaime is one of the most experienced characters in the Naruto universe and has commonly been used as a source of information in a fair number of fics that I have read. You shall have your reply to this statement a little later down the chapter.

Antiholsticate – Interesting, theory with regard to the Prince and the Claw, though you will have to wait for more clues regarding that. And I am glad that you have enjoyed the story so far.

Crypton89 – There is nothing wrong with your opinion. You have your beliefs and I respect that. However, I shall have to say that the workings of the Prince's marriages are far more complex then emotional attachment and affection; you will see a bit of that later in the chapter.

Tenshi Aine – Well, I'll have to admit and agree on your point with the textbook feel, but such is expected if the questions are to serve their purpose. I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story so far, and I like the fact that I have a fellow Monte Cristo fan out there *laughs*.

I am happy that you enjoy reading this fic despite the frustrations it has caused you (this was intended).

_Sincerely,_

_**Toph the Trickster

* * *

**_

**Arc two, Chapter one:**

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

**Looking Back and Looking Forward**

"_Everything in this village, I know._

"_There is no secret that is hidden from me._

"_And here I am looking at what may possibly be a coup d'Etat._

"_I shall allow no such thing._

"_Keep an eye on them, and if you feel that there is nothing that can be done to dissuade their rebellious urges..."_

"_-then perhaps it was time they learned who the superior one here is."_

-Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage

~TtT~

Contemplative silence was probably the best way to describe the atmosphere in Sarutobi Hiruzen's private study; only the howling winds that blew through the large window breaking the solemnity as the old kage's dark eyes flew over the treaty terms that had been set out by the Amekage two evenings ago.

_~ "These are our terms, Hokage-san, and they are no longer negotiable. We have consumed hours discussing this, and considering the fact that you drafted this over the last twenty-four hours with the help of my son suggests to me that all parties are content with these and that there shall be no further dispute over them" ~_

The Shadow of Fire recalled the raven's words:

_~ "Present this document to your high council – in the event that you haven't done so yet – and inform them that what is written on this bundle of paper is final. I apologize for sounding rude, but as this treaty is to be singed in by the shogun we cannot afford to allow this joining to consume any more time than necessary." ~_

It was such a strange statement, Hiruzen knew. For what sense would it make for the shogun to be bothered with how long it would take to settle an agreement between two villages?

"Perhaps it is in the fact that this is the first time since the Grand Founding that any samurai had risen to take command of the lands." His right hand felt the upward tug of his skin as a smirk formed while old fingers brushed through white facial hair.

"This _does_ leave all the shinobi villages in uncharted waters." He added in a mumble. "The balance of power is shifting fast…"

He was interrupted form continuing however, as he heard the hinges to the room's sole door wail with movement:

"Even perhaps faster than you can hope to keep up with, Hokage-sama?"

Whatever collective of words Hiruzen had thought to append to his unfinished statement immediately died in his thoughts as he quickly placed the treaty draft face-down on his desk and rested his hands on the silken cloths of his lap; he stared at the intruder.

"Good evening, Shimura-san." The Hokage's voice was almost venomous, with the obvious weariness lacing it so much that the scarred councilman could almost feel it with the latter's missing limbs.

Despite this apparent dislike, Danzo did not falter:

"I bid you a good evening, Hiruzen." The politician made a small grunt as he struggled to lower himself to the cushion across the village leader while leaning upon the cane that supported his damaged legs. "And may I ask how you have been as of late? Your duties have not been so hard on you that you would rafter not have a chat with an old colleague, perhaps?"

Hiruzen found himself smirking ever so slightly: "I have been well, Danzo." He informed the cripple before him. "Though I will admit a chat from you had not been among my expectations for this week." the white-haired old man's lips tugged upward just a little bit more as the annoyance his voice was mixed with was replaced with humor and slight warning:

"Pray tell, what service can the shadow of fire be to you, honored councilman?"

The visitor did not respond right away; though he did not stare blankly at the kage for too long either.

It was a pause, just long enough so that it would not look that he was too eager to ask something of the Hokage, and short enough that he would not look unprepared for what might come of the visit.

_Smart move, Danzo._

"A simple 'satisfaction of curiosity' would be the best way to describe my primary reason, and a 'settling of a concern' to be the secondary." Danzo took his cane and laid it beside his right thigh then placed his hands – the palms facing down – on top of the varnished wooden table, making it known to the white-haired man that there was nothing hidden, nothing he was holding that could be used.

He was showing he wasn't here to be hostile with him.

Though Hiruzen was still a little skeptical with regard to that, considering the past they had.

"Concern, _Shimura-san_?" the Hokage told the councilor with a raised eyebrow. "I would have expected that concern for me is the last thing on your mind, regardless of what time period in our history together you were in."

A scarred chin dipped down before rising up again:

"That is true, _Sarutobi-dono_," Danzo told the Hokage with a tone that was less than reputable. "Your health is the least of my concerns, and I could care less if you were to die on me right now." The man's tone had changed in that second statement, moving from forced respect to open disdain in the span of one sentence, and Hiruzen once again found himself watching out for attack.

-Just like he used to when both of them were younger.

The councilor, though, was apparently not yet through speaking:

"But I'm sure you know that the state of this village certainly _is_ something I would concern myself with." Still the tone was sharp, the words biting at the kage as Danzo's sole seen eye glared at him. "You have _always _known that. And despite what you may believe, you are also aware that everything I do is for the good of Konohagakure."

Hiruzen's brows were drawn together at the odd choice of words for they seemed more than a little uncalled for in a surprise visit.

"May I ask, Danzo, where you are leading me in this conversation?"

The cripple's glare seemed to soften a little, the councilor taking a deep breath before replying to the village head:

"You will have to excuse me, Hiruzen," he said, neither male choosing to refer to each other formally any longer. "But I am here to discuss plans for the foreseeable future and whatever additional _baggage_ may come with them."

The statement caused the Hokage's right eyebrow to rise as the confusion at his councilman's outburst turned to curiosity at what the latter might mean.

Danzo recognizing the look, immediately responded:

"This alliance with the Land of Rain, the reemergence of the Shogunate, our 'At War' status with Oto, the fate of the jinchuuriki boy, and your dealings with this Prince Rikudo."

Hiruzen nodded to the person seated in front of him once, not saying a word as Danzo continued.

"Three years ago, you lost Uzumaki Naruto during the attempted invasion of Konoha; that in itself was a grave failure on your part.

"Now, we are presented with this 'Prince' that has an uncanny resemblance to the missing child."

It was then that the Hokage spoke:

"Are you saying they are one person?"

"That is not where I am going, but you are quite close to what I was trying to point out." –was the councilman's immediate response. "Look out the window, Hiruzen," Danzo gestured to the large opening to his left and tilted his head so that Hiruzen might look outside while the former kept his gaze on the latter. "Look at the village and compare the sight through this window to your memory from when we were but genin.

"Look at it and compare everything you see." He stopped speaking then, keeping silent when he saw the familiar clouding of the old leader's eyes; the familiar feeling of nostalgia that the third Hokage seemed to exude as the white-haired man looked into the past.

Though as this happened, Danzo did not follow the gaze, or take that opportunity to reminisce on his own; no, he kept his eyes trained on the kage, silently waiting for the reaction he knew would come soon enough.

It was nearly a minute later that it did, in the form of Hiruzen's eyebrows rising up in surprise.

"Do you see it, Hiruzen?" the councilor asked his superior: "Do you see the difference?"

Their eyes met as the shadow of the Land of Fire turned away from the view and back to his guest.

And then came the nod:

"Yes, I can see it clearly, so clearly that it almost seems worrisome to think about…" He took a deep breath, his expression somber with the thought of what he was about to say:

"Nothing." That was the word he felt could best describe what he saw in his mind's eye. "Other than the addition of a few residences, nothing has changed since I became the third Hokage."

"Hmm." -Hummed the councilman as he nodded to the other man: "The stagnancy of a nation is a failure in itself. You managed to keep the peace, Hiruzen, you managed to keep the people of Konoha alive and happy, but you failed to make it grow, at least in the sense that we seek to achieve.

"It is not in your nature; you are not one to accept change so easily," Danzo understood this aspect of the Hokage and knew of it longer than any other person in Konoha. "All Konoha did during your time was maintain what it had.

"There is no denying that you had implemented things, the medic-nin program, and other policies that are still being used now.

"But all you had done was put into writing what was already practiced in thought, what we did whether it was made a law or not.

"You are a rock, Hiruzen, a stone that stands stable and keeps everything in place through the years.

"But now I sense the winds of change," the speaker's single eye narrowed as he spoke: "The balance of power is shifting around us, more than just successors are joining the game, and problems are arising for those conservatives that deny what's coming.

"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed, for you are standing at the forefront now. You know how things have been run since the time of the village's founding, but it doesn't work like that anymore.

"The kage don't hold all the power now, Hiruzen, the cards are being dealt again.

"Now, how do you plan to deal with your hand?

"You are a rock, but will you hold as the ground bellow you shakes and shudders?

"And that is the future that I can foresee; the questions are right in front of you."

There was another pause then, Danzo remaining silent as the Hokage pondered his two questions with only the wind that blew into he room disturbing the silence it had fallen into. Perhaps it had even grown to such a point that the visiting councilman would no longer bear it, for he took his cane and stood up:

"As you think on this, Hiruzen, perhaps you should look back at what I had told you on that night fifteen years ago." The man pivoted his heal and took a step towards the door. "It may help you get a better grasp of what may come."

The third Hokage, proclaimed by many as the God of Shinobi could only look at his desk in contemplation as he heard the hinges to the door screech before Danzo delivered his final message:

"And accept that – for all that is to befall us – we are both to blame for what happened to Uzumaki Naruto."

And the door was shut.

~TtT~

"_I will trust your decision with regard to the child this one time, and simply because it was asked of me by Lord Minato._

"_But heed my words, Hokage-sama; you bear the weight of the future on your shoulders now._

"_And be prepared to deal with what may come of your choice, for I know well enough to be ready with respect to it._

"_I supported you, after all._

"_So remember this night, Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, for should you make a mistake in the light of this red moon…_

"_You're days – as well as those of many – are surely numbered."_

-Shimura Danzo to Sarutobi Hiruzen

~TtT~

'_The Blackened Hand_' – a fairly pricy restaurant in northern Suna – found itself devoid of any life and its coffers filled at seven-fifteen that night as Prince Rikudo deigned to buy out the establishment for the evening, having decided to pay for all expenses in advance, and agreeing to pay additional should the expenses exceed what was predicted.

The owner, a rather plump, short0haired merchant by the name Akiudo Genma found himself dressed formally, waiting right outside the front door for his client to arrive. Normally, he would be here with his daughter – whenever one of House Rikudo were to make a transaction that would result in bulk profit – watching as she would interact with the prince, and sometimes hoping that the young royal might find enough interest in her that he may take her as a candidate for a wife.

_If only that she may have a secured future._

The Akiudo were rather well-off, of that there is no doubt, but as a father he really could never help but worry whenever he looked at the way the changing politics were affecting his trade: for with the rising power of the shogunate, the feudal lords were beginning to take a more active role in the governing of the Great Shinobi Nations and even majority of the smaller ninja villages were starting to get affected.

This left people like he – businessmen who had rooted themselves too deeply into the economy of the shinobi villages – in uncharted territory.

And he was nothing if not someone who sought sturdiness and security, for his work and _most especially_ his family.

-Which was why he hoped that Karin and his most frequent patron would find interest in each other.

_For without a doubt, Ame - and House Rikudo by extension – will ride this wave without a hitch._

"Good evening, Genma." – called a voice the broke the man from his reverie, having not noticed the approach of the person he had been waiting to arrive.

The short, black hair of the merchant maintained its pulled-back style as he bowed to the Prince of Rain:

"Rikudo-dono," he smiled to his client after restoring his original posture. "It's good to see you again."

Rikudo's response was to place his left hand upon the merchant's shoulder and to extend his right for a handshake which Genma accepted: "You as well, my friend; I trust you have been well in the last few months? Forgive my inability to see you." He asked the older man with a smirk.

"I have been well, sir, and it's no problem that you haven't been able to visit me." The older male replied as he broke the aforementioned handshake. "You are a busy man, after all; what with all traveling I hear you have had to do as of late." He continued before gesturing to the door and taking several steps toward it. "Would you like to see what we have managed to set up, Rikudo-dono?"

There was silence at first, the prince remaining in the shadowed area just beyond what the lights of the building could reach, no movement from the royal as the latter seemed more focused on what was happening around them.

At two seconds, Genma thought he heard giggle; he looked and saw a teenage couple walking together. He could not tell who they were from darkness of the night.

At four seconds, he heard a growl and the noise of cans and crates. He didn't have to look it was the chef's cat and the stray dog roughhousing at the back of the restaurant.

At six seconds, the merchant swore he heard the distant and faded sounds of the southern gate's bells tolling to signal that someone had been found dead. An expected even in light of the recent attack on the Kazekage, one which went ignored by most except those that were in charge of keeping track of numbers.

Four seconds after – at Akiudo Genma's tenth count – he heard the prince's sandals grind against the sand; one step, then another, then another, until the Heir to House Rikudo was fully shown in the yellow light that filtered through the windows of the Blackened Hand.

The teenager's purple eyes stared at the amber one's of the elder man in amusement as the former brought up his arms and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his midnight blue kimono, the position bringing out the shoulders which his black Haori rested atop of.

"That would delightful, Genma."

~TtT~

Darkness and silence, the two best ways to describe the way the shinobi world had been throughout the past three years, for what else could there be? Since the great abomination that was the attempted invasion of Konohagakure, there has been nothing to disturb the appearance of peace since.

Now, if only this applied to the looming darkness and foreboding that seemed to hang over the sights of many of the people in power and any person they may be related to or involved with.

Rikudo Temari, second wife of prince Rikudo found such thought plaguing her as she tossed and turned in the cloth wrapping that was her bed linens.

She wondered why it bothered her, this uncertainty of what was to come, this inability to know what her husband and his family had planned for the coming months, or what role they intend to play in the Shogun's games.

_~ You feel affected because you are already a part of it. ~_

She could almost _see_ Lady Shoujouhi's red eyes sparkle with humor as she would have said this.

The seventeen-year-old woman – at least the image the blonde kunoichi imagined in her mind – made a valid point, though. Temari could not ignore that fact that despite not being a samurai by profession, not being related by blood to or coming from a samurai family, she was married to one that was by title.

One might she add, that was possibly neck-deep in all of it.

The ninja felt a bit of bitterness creep into her as she thought of her marriage, though; her erratic movements stopping as her consciousness took hold and she felt how soaked her sheets had become since she fell asleep on the chair hours before.

Deep sea-green eyes stared longingly at the full moon that shone through the glass of her window, the woman finding herself desiring the clarity of the white orb, the purity of its soft light.

_No secrets, no lies, no more deceptions._

She found herself greatly bemused by her thoughts at the irony of it all: she, a kunoichi - a proud ninja of the Land of Wind – rejecting the existence of falsities?

All things considered, it was part of her work. She couldn't avoid them, could she?

But Temari could not deny that little bit of hurt that she felt whenever she acknowledged her ignorance of her husband's state of health, or that of his family. True, she received news whenever things would happen; she was informed if some significant event or another affected one of the other wives or a blood relative of the prince, but that was standard protocol.

For news of that nature said nothing about the trust placed upon her, nothing of the trust that she felt should have been there after a year-and-a-half of marriage.

So she had asked around, pried, and searched, hoping that she would come to an answer that might send away the darkness that clouded over her future – a darkness her husband had placed before her.

And the answer she received after weeks of looking through Ame's libraries, questioning their one hundred councilors, and perusing the very scrolls held by the Pillars of Rikudo, she was answered by her father-in-law with one statement:

_~ We all have roles to play in the coming future, my little one; it is simply that yours has yet to be determined in such an entirety that it is ready to be given to you. ~_

Her back arced forward as she sat up and hugged her knees to herself, only noticing then that her husband had taken the liberty of removing her outer garments and letting her hair down before placing her in bed as he left. She took the opportunity to look at the clock and sighed when she found the time at seven-thirty-three.

_Without a doubt, I will be late._

Sighing at her predicament, she looked to the armchair that stood to her left and found what she expected: the clothes that she was expected to wear to tonight's event, and a little note on top of the outfit which was most likely left by her husband before he departed.

_It's in times like these that I try to remember what sort of expectations I had when I was made to marry the Prince of Rain._

She did; she always found herself asking what she sought in her marriage, what sort of life she expected to lead among the many wives he would soon have.

Rikudo Temari wasted not time with the question, preferring to quickly relieve herself of her wet sheets and rush to the bathroom in order to be at her best for tonight's activity, which she was sure would be spent at her spouse's side.

Until now, she knew, that she might never recall what she wanted out of this life she was now living, or if she will ever achieve what she sought.

~TtT~

Hatake Kakashi found himself more than just a little bit bothered as he continued his walk towards the northern gate of the Village Hidden in the Sand, only paying enough attention to his surroundings that he might not bump into anything or anyone, and that he be able to determine whether he had gone far enough.

Everything else, though - the looks of curiosity he was getting from the people around him for being a shinobi of another village, the strange feel of the sand beneath his sandals, or the chill that caressed his face whenever the desert winds blew at him – went unnoticed, tuned out as he concentrated on other things.

The primary reason for this being the information his female student had decided to present to himself and the last Sannin remaining under direct command of the Hokage.

-Information that may relate to the disappearance – and even possible continued existence – of his other male student that went by the name of Uzumaki Naruto.

He thought back…

~TtT~

"So this is it?" the jounin sensei asked his student as his black eye scrutinized the wooden box on the table before he trained his gaze to Sakura, his revealed eyebrow rising as he added: "He offered it to you, and you just _took_ it?"

No, he was sure that Sakura was more cautious than that; a thought that was confirmed when he saw her swing her head from left to right in disagreement to what he said.

"No, Kakashi-sensei." The younger of the two present kunoichi said from her place on the couch in her hotel room. "I could sense no deception in his words, at least as far as my training should have been able to detect."

It was Tsunade – the only other female in the room – that answered her apprentice's words from the former's own place to Sakura's left:

"That is _no_ excuse, Sakura." The woman scolded, blonde brows furrowed as her lips were pulled down. "For all you know the box could have been rigged and you could die within the next hour or so." Though contradicting her own words, the Sannin moved to pick up the object and let her amber eyes examine the six Magatama placed upon the top cover. "And even if Chiyo-baa-sama had said nothing about your doing so," Tsunade added, still not looking at the teenager. "It is not wise to be so trusting of people here at the moment."

And when the older woman looked up to be met by the confused look on the genin's face, she, in kind, responded to the unsaid question she saw:

"We are allies of the Rain village, or at least we are going to be if all this treaty business goes off without a problem, and Suna is one of its allies." Tsunade placed the box back on the table with a gentleness that she rarely exhibited when dealing with work she didn't particularly enjoy. "But remember that this village was still involved in the attempted invasion three years ago, and we should remain weary of them until they can prove trustworthy enough."

"I don't like it." -Interrupted Kakashi, gaining the attention of the women that sat across him. "Three years of quiet and all of a sudden we're up to our necks in activity." He shook his head. "It's either Konoha has been ignorant of Ame's machinations over the last few years or they're up to something that they think we may not like."

"Wait," Sakura called out with an expression of even deeper confusion then before. "Aren't we talking about this box and Sasori? How did we suddenly arrive to talking about Ame?"

There was silence at first, no words being said by either senior in response, and thus leaving Sakura to contemplate all the information herself.

She thought back, from her first encounter with the prince, to that conversation in the graveyard, the talk with Ino, the mission, up till the last time she saw the prince just that morning.

The prince looked like Naruto, she couldn't deny that. Other than the minor differences, he could probably be Naruto in disguise.

_No, it __**has**__ to be him._

But what else could there be?

She knew that the prince was from Ame, a shinobi village that did not really garner that much attention until recently – and that attention was not always openly expressed if she observed the lack of information moving around Konoha for not even whispers of it were overheard whenever she made her frequent visits to the kage tower.

_Kakashi-sensei is right, though. _She told herself with a little nod. _There's something brewing and Ame's involved._

She looked back to the woman she encountered this morning, the shogun's wife, who – apparently – was involved in the withholding of chuunin exams for the past three years and had been planning on reinstating them this year, albeit under invitation for the participating villages.

What connection was there between the three?

It was certain that Ame had dealings with the shogun and his family, if the interaction between the prince Rikudo and the noble's wife was anything to go by.

But how was Sasori connected to all this? If Naruto was indeed the prince, what involvement did they have that would make this '_temple_' something of significance?

For that matter, was Sasori even telling her the truth or was it just something to lead her astray from where she was really supposed to go?

All things considered, she didn't even know where she was supposed to be heading in the first place.

She was prevented from further thought, however, by the words of her mentor:

"Either way, it seems like there is too little information to go by, and I don't think it's wise for us to be discussing things here."

Kakashi nodded solemnly in response: "I agree;" his lone uncovered eye drifted back to the box on the table. "We will have to discuss this with Hokage-sama in greater detail when we get home."

"Yes," Tsunade affirmed, following the jounin's gaze to the object that had come to grip their attention for the better part of the early afternoon.

"Regardless, my instincts are telling me that there has been some foul play involved, and I don't like it."

* * *

And so begins the second arc of the Prince of Rain.

**Post-Chapter Questions** (_the homework that many of you seem to like to call __**:P**_)**:**

Namikaze Minato has been known and accepted to be kind, but also ruthless to his enemies during the time of the Third Great Shinobi War; looking at his account, I feel that it is obvious as to what he is referring to, but I would like to know who you believe he is speaking to and how the account makes him appear as.

How do you feel about my portrayal of Danzo in this fic based on his only (so far) appearance?

What secrets / regrets do you feel Hiruzen is hiding?

A brief memory of the occurrence on the day of Naruto's birth was shown through the chapter's second account. What are your thoughts on this?

From the second scene (the one with the Prince until the last one), I have tried to add in a bit of my new style into the writing. What do you think of this new thing?

I tried to put a fair amount of angst in Temari's scene, and I am curious as how this turned out for you readers…. Also, how would you describe her feelings toward her marriage?

Twice now, (in this chapter and the once previous) Temari has mentioned the woman named "Lady Shoujouhi" who can be confirmed as the Prince's first wife. Based on her thoughts and what little interactions there are, what image has been painted to you about this enigmatic woman?

In the last scene, it has become clear that the Konoha ninja are starting to suspect something. Do you agree with their speculations?

And that's it for this week. Sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoyed the read.

Sincerely,

**_Toph the trickster_**


	26. A Night of Many Words

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto, although, I would very much want to…

* * *

**Pre-chapter notes (no rant for this chapter):**

It's been a while, dear readers.

**Review Responses:**

Juopunumies – I think I am to blame for that formed opinion as the way I worded it (many thanks for directly quoting so that I may take notice) would most likely have caused such a thought. I will have to say that I agree with you based on the excerpt you presented, though that was not the thought I was trying to pass. It fell more along the lines that I wanted Hiruzen to feel that he would rather Naruto find the peace of death then live as someone who breathed lies and manipulation was accustomed to the Naruto verse's politicians (primarily in fanon).

R-dude (response for reviews on chapters 24-25) – _**(for 25)**_ well, I am most certainly pleased to know that my more vocal reviewers (I still remember our memorable exchange months ago) agrees with me on the Danzo topic. To be clear about Karin's parentage, no, her father is not the ninja from Konoha, but just a merchant civilian that owns a restaurant in Suna and other businesses in other nations. _**(for 24 and the harem topic)**_ Now, I cannot really give you my reasoning for considering the making of this as a harem reasonable, honestly, I am not sure how it ended up that way, either; though I can say that the story will actually be going into that very _much_ later in the story, so you might somehow find satisfaction then. All the same, I bow in thanks for your continued patronage. PS: no, I wasn't kidding, either :D

Crypton89 – I will openly admit that there won't be much fighting for a while, as we've finally hit the speaking stage. (would 'finally' _really_ be the best for it?) As for the marriage, however, I can say you got it spot on. Forgive me for stubbornly holding on to my habit not always revealing things (even facts that I want made as painfully obvious as possible) in such a roundabout manner.

SomebodyLost – On the first statement, 'right.' I'll have to refer you to the section for R-dude's review response above for the second part. :\ sorry. We'll see for Konan. I already have plans for her, so you might just have to wait it out. On Nagato, that will be taken care of in future chapters, though I'm curious as to what makes you think it's _not _ Nagato rather than the other way around. I am also honored that you would bother to research for little old me; thank you. I guess I will have to admit to the comment on my writing style; yes, I rather twisted the American interpretation of the Naruto series, but for some reason the way the series is presented makes me think of feudal Japan and leaves me with assuming that many of the characters would be talking rather formally. I'll try to tone things down a little, though, in hopes that they would sound a little more like themselves. Though keep in mind that I suck at this, so please bear with me ;)

Rise Against713 – I am happy to know that you like the way I started the new arc. I usually find myself rather uncertain most times when I go about this fic (and all others I have written). Now, with regard to the rant, please also recall my first one regarding the swords and that you shouldn't actually take my opinions into account when thinking of the clues I drop in the story as I usually say one thing, and write down another. I am not saying that your guess is correct or not, but simply warning. :D On the topic of the primary pairing (or any of the pairings I have planned)… I sort of wanted to keep that a surprise, as I continually fear that revealing the pairings I have planned might spoil the story for you forgive me.

warriorx559 – Out of curiosity, if you are willing, would you please point out what gave you that opinion? I am not saying your statement is wrong in anyway, I am just too much of a curious cat not to ask. Still, thank you for your comments, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

JPMod – Thank you for assisting me in my search for answers on the note/rant I posted at the start of the last chapter. With regard to getting a background story for how Temari became one of the prince's wives, I originally intended that to be covered in later chapters, once we start to know the other wives and their roles in the plot. (I simply hope that it doesn't slip my mind)

ElRusso – Your statement at the end enforces the opinion I hold in its entirety. And the exact phrasing in English is "The end justifies the means." Thanks very much for sharing

Fritter – Excellent recommendation; I enjoyed myself immensely, and I can see your point on the Danzo portrayal.

Cenright – I shall confess that I have been trying to avoid the more… perhaps 'fanciful' would be a good word? No, unrealistic would fit better, I believe – aspects of the anime and manga. True its entirely possible, though I just sought to portray his _devotion_ in a slightly different manner that would advance the plot better. Danzo's role for the story has already been set in stone (at least as long as I'm alive). And I will concur on the Albus Dumbledore stunt of Hiruzen.

Winnow – Thank you for the words of encouragement on the style comment and it has been noted. True, being stuck with such circumstances would make one feel bad. Hm… well, in that case (in response to your letting things play out.) I hope that you at least have a good read for this chapter.

Elemental-Zer0 – It's always good to hear from you, Lady Zero, and it is no problem that you are busy, considering that we all have to consider our _duties above all else (emphasis on this phrase will be explained in later chapters of the story)_, so it is perfectly understandable. Though, I certainly hope that you are doing fine on your end and that everything is all right. Thank you for voicing your thoughts on the account. That was exactly the picture I was going for, seeing as in the manga, anime, and many stories I have read insofar have chosen not to show him in the way he was known in the war for. I am also very glad to know that my portrayal of Danzo at the moment is at least in-character. The buildup for Hiruzen's future role has begun (do you suppose it's safe for me to be discussing this in a review response?) so that I can get him to the right feel for his final part in the story. On the more technical / grammatical comments, I will have to read more for a better understanding. Thank you for pointing that out and I shall try to get better. Reading through the excerpt for her scene again, I am inclined to agree. Perhaps I managed to get the thoughts antsy, though the emotion and the feel I was aiming for fell short of what I wanted. Your advice has been taken into account, and I thank you for it. on the topic of Shoujouhi, I will have to make a correction to what is apparently a poor description on my part. The description of blond hair was directed to Temari, as Shoujouhi has no mentioned hair color as of yet, and I apologize for that. Also, there is no need to reveal your thoughts on the matter of Konoha's suppositions, considering what we have discussed in the past. That would be very prudent, indeed. Once again, thank you for dropping by to comment, and I hope to hear from you when you are available. Lastly, I hope my reply did not make you have to deal with too much of a wall of text.

It appears that my responses seem to be getting more and more vocal. I might have to format them next time, so as to make things easier for you reviewers to deal with.

_Sincerely,_

_**Toph the Trickster

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**_

**Arc Two, Chapter Two:**

**Chapter Twenty-Six:**

**A Night of Many Words**

"_You should handle social events the same way you handle your lectures, and your fighting._

"_Take it as an opportunity to gather information._

"_The mere fact that the presence of alcohol at most of these things tells you that something may slip into the wind at just the right time for you to catch it._

"_Make the most of the reduced inhibitions of those around you; milk it for all its worth, if you will._

"_And you may find yourself rather well-informed, and well-armed, indeed, my prince._"

-Second Councilman of Amegakure

~TtT~

Since she was but a young girl, Haruno Sakura had come to enjoy parties, regardless of whatever the occasion was and fair exposure was not something that she lacked. Her time as a kunoichi gave her many an opportunity to immerse herself in the different methods of celebration. From parties of celebration over a victory such as the one she had been to after the liberation of the Land of Waves three years ago, the revelry following the successful defense of Konoha from the Sound, to simple birthday parties hosted by her many friends over the years.

Even parties that were used to gather information rather than enjoyment were not too foreign to her, albeit rather infrequent.

So, upon entering the decently large hall of the Blackened Hand and admiring the preparations the shop's owner, Akiudo Genma, had prepared for them: the three long tables that were laid out in such a way so that they would form a 'u,' and the soft music that played. She mentally praised the man for the simple yet pleasant air the main hall seemed to exude as she looked at it and intended to compliment him later.

Having entered with her two teachers, the three Konoha-nin were among the earliest to arrive with the only people to enter the venue earlier being Gaara, Matsuri, and prince Rikudo who were currently standing off on the porch leading to the garden and talking animatedly.

Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura moved to seat themselves on the table's segment that was right of the entrance, opposite the side with the garden door; a place that gave them perfect view of the greenery and the only other three persons present.

"Well," –began the Sannin while pouring herself a saucer of sake from the little bottle that had been placed before her. "At least all the exhaustion we had to deal with made for some self-indulgence." she cast her gaze across the room.

At this, the jounin chuckled slightly, saying: "True, true, though I find it odd that we're here celebrating a successful mission despite the fact that we attended a funeral just this morning." He chose to leave the alcohol that had been set before him be, choosing rather to remain still with his hands on his knees while his senior and his student drank.

Sakura nodded after sipping her cup of tea; it wasn't that they didn't celebrate completed missions even though it wasn't a one-hundred percent successful, although they usually put off such celebration on the day of a burial or cremation of anyone who died on duty as a form of respect.

_To see these people acting so cheerful on the evening after laying Chiyo-baa-sama to rest is…_ her brows furrowed as she found herself trying to come up with a good word to go with the thought. It was during her next intake of tea that she found it:

…_-Unsettling…._

"Ah," Interrupted a female from behind them, causing the three ninja to look to the fair-skinned face of Lady Urashima Motoko who smiled down at them, her black waist-length hair hanging in free and touching obi of her sky-blue yukata. "It is not all that surprising that you find it so _odd_." She reiterated Kakashi's chosen adjective. "To make merry on the day a person is laid to rest, most especially if the departed was of advanced age."

Her steps were soft, Sakura observed, as the teenager could barely hear her ankles knock against the polished wood when the shogun's wife moved to stand in front of the spot Kakashi left for Sasuke on the female genin's immediate left.

Motoko gestured to the empty space:

"May I take this seat, if only temporarily?" the question was addressed to all the three people she had been speaking to for the noble moved her look from Tsunade to Sakura to Kakashi as she asked.

"We don't mind." The elder medic told the younger woman with a nod. "-As our other companions have yet to arrive, anyway."

Thanking the ninja, the samurai seated herself and began her further elaboration of her statement.

"This is actually a practice of Ame nationals, and it is practiced for a good many reasons.

"To fully understand this, one would first have to look at the history of the Land of Rain to fully understand." As Lady Urashima continued, Sakura noted the soft, almost mournful fog that seemed to glaze the former's eyes as she spoke. "Death is something everyone back home have grown quite accustomed to, and it had quite nearly left the country beyond help at one point in time." The nineteen-year-old woman's brown eyes met Sakura's.

"You are aware of Ame's geography, are you not?"

The pink-haired ninja nodded in response, meeting the eyes of the samurai unflinchingly and continuing to notice what emotion her eyes seemed to convey to her.

Kakashi and Tsunade remained silent.

"The Land of Rain was more battleground than participant in the first three Shinobi Wars." Motoko said to them. "And the fighting left it crippled in every way possible: morally, economically. It's people broken and fearful of the other nations." She broke her eye contact then, choosing to turn to the window across her to gaze at the full moon. "And the people had grown bitter because of it all.

"This practice was brought in so that it would be easier for the people to deal with the deaths that followed the wars, when the shortages of food and other needs set in more deeply then the scars of battles would.

"To take heart in the fact that at least those that died would suffer no more, was something that the people of Ame celebrated, something that made the pain of loss a little more bearable. For those that died past the age of fifty, it became a celebration for having lived that long." She looked back to Sakura, Motoko smiling slightly this time.

"It is also to say to those that have passed that they can take to death with peace in their hearts, knowing they are missed but loved nonetheless and that they may move on without anymore regrets." The noble reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll and a little lacquer box which the other three easily identified as a writing kit.

Motoko held up the two objects, continuing:

"Rikudo-san mentioned you already know of these." This she said to all three Konoha-nin. "Those of Ame are accustomed to suffering and death. In a way, these practices simply help them cope with all of it."

The samurai woman returned the objects to their original places, having concluded her explanation, kept herself silent but unmoving in order to let her companions digest the new information and perhaps give them the opportunity to ask questions.

An opportunity Kakashi decided to make use of.

"I hope that you wouldn't mind my asking, Urashima-sama, but were you a citizen of Ame before you married into the shogun's family?"

Motoko gave him an immediate response in the form of a light smirk, a giggle, then a reply: "No, I met Lord Urashima before he became shogun; when he was traveling the continent around four years ago. But having been living within Ame since the end of the civil war, we have come to _adopt_ some of their practices."

It was Tsunade who spoke next:

"Would you care to share to us your love story with the shogun?" –asked the older woman with a smirk that told Sakura that the topic of discussion had just left information relevant to the mysteries she was facing and into simple fun.

In the short second, the kunoichi debated with herself whether to keep snooping around or to take a short break and simply enjoy herself for the night, for surely more opportunities would present themselves at a later time.

_Right?_

She looked around the room, tuning out the story that Lady Urashima was relating, and noticed that in the time it took them to discuss the prior subject, the other guests had arrived, with the exception of a few others.

Anko had apparently joined the prince, the Kazekage, the kage's student, and Temari who had arrived shortly before the special jounin, at the porch and were talking animatedly about smells that were coming from the kitchen on the other side of the garden.

Elder Ebizo was sitting on the table segment opposite Sakura beside councilmen Shingi and Doki, the female catching the name of Chiyo popping up every now and then enough to understand that the three were recounting some of her adventures. Ebizo, from when they were children, Shingi from his time as a samurai retainer for the Lord of the Land of Wind and his dealings with her, and Doki on his encounters with her on the political arena.

Sakura recalled Motoko's words when she saw this and found herself agreeing that it would be a thousand times better to remember a lost love one in fondness rather then anything else and adding it to what the prince said at the funeral just that morning.

_Perhaps dealing with Naruto's disappearance might have been a little bit easier if there was less to regret._

For but a moment did the thought rest in her thoughts, before she directed her gaze to the prince and his group and remembering what conclusion she had come to just earlier that afternoon.

_Naruto…_

From that point, Sakura wasn't entirely sure what happened, at least not too consciously for all she could recall whenever she thought back to that moment was Motoko speaking softly to her saying: "You will see that the prince is a different person, at things like these, than he is at work; why not see how different?"

A moment later, she was walking to him.

~TtT~

Mitarashi Anko was enjoying herself immensely, at least as far as conversation inhibited by soberness could go.

Both the prince and the Kazekage were calm conversationalists, preferring to make use of a more serious brand of humor that they subtly slip in to their words at random intervals to get laughs from the three other females while Matsuri leaned more to relating the numerous funny occurrences from her time at the academy and Temari opting to simply listen and laugh.

What surprised her more, though, was the easiness with which she found herself being able to speak with them.

_But I'm thinkin' that may be because our topic is the safest possible thing that can be talked about: food_.

That's probably one of the main reasons she found herself having fun. For past experience had told shown her that when important people gathered, be it for events such as these or otherwise, machinations were always at play and power was being passed around with every word that was said with as much frequency that drinks were taken.

So here she was, speaking with a kage, his student, a prince and his wife yet of all the things in the shinobi world to be talking about, they spoke of _food._

Anko almost laughed.

She smiled and listened to Matsuri recommend some dish of the restaurant's to her, taking notice of the approaching Haruno shortly before the Suna genin finished describing it.

It was at this same time, that the collective of six people heard several children scream and a ball fly toward the prince.

But what caught her attention wasn't the fact that such a thing occurred, nor was it that he managed to intercept the projectile without damaging it despite wearing finger-bladed gloves, no.

It was the fact that he had used his right arm, which, for reasons unknown to her, she had failed to notice as in useable condition.

Any further thought on the topic, however, was cut short by the prince's chuckle as he handed the three children their toy while reminding them to be careful in the future.

"They're a wonder that far outstrips the many I have seen, in my opinion." The teenager voiced as he watched the three younglings run off to the center of the garden to resume whatever game their playing. "-So much potential, so much power, and so many more things that could only be imagined…" he made it sound as though the thought was left unfinished, almost like the royal expected someone to rise to his words.

Sakura, Anko noticed, took the initiative.

"Power, potential?" A pink eyebrow was raised with a corner of her lips pulled up. "Are you looking at them from a shinobi's point of view, Rikudo-sama? Because if you were, I'd like to have your thoughts of children if you were a father."

It was an innocent enough question despite that tinge of challenge in the way the pink-haired genin sounded, Anko noted; although one might find it a little unexpected to have suddenly shifted the topic of discussion from food to children over the course of two sentences.

_It's not that it doesn't happen, though. _She thought with a grin as she listened in for the prince's answer at the same time trying to see any irregularities in the right arm that so enamored her for the last few seconds.

"Power and potential are inherent in all things in this world." Rikudo replied to the genin, breaking his arm lock with Temari to move toward the table and picking up a saucer, his Haori billowing with the evening desert wind behind him. He gestured to it with his free hand. "There is hidden power in this saucer," his right hand moved to point at the table. "-in this table." Then he waved his arm in an arc as though showing them the world. "In anything else you see.

"This potential is something that can be applied in many ways, by that which holds it, or otherwise. It's one of the so few absolutes that we can find in life. Now, when I relate such thoughts to a child, as I did just earlier, I was referring to what they could grow to be.

"The wonder there is in the possibilities that one can imagine whenever I look at them, the unpredictability of their fates is something I find beautiful."

Downing the liquid that had already been placed in the porcelain piece that the five listeners admitted to having never seen being filled, prince Rikudo continued after motioning for his companions to sit with them when he noticed an ever so slightly corpulent man Anko assumed was either the shop's manager or owner enter.

"To answer your second question, Haruno-san," the prince said to the genin seated to his immediate right, having taken the space where he took his aforementioned drink from which was the seat with the garden to his back, Sakura sat on his right, Temari on his left, Gaara and Matsuri following the former's sister and Anko on the end of the table. "As a father, I would quite possibly be looking at it from the same point of view."

He took a moment to pause after saying this, making it clear to all present that he was gathering his thoughts to speak again.

"I had a friend, who actually once commented that the way I would explain things in general was a little to similar to the way I gave my lectures at Ame's academy." At this point, another smirk began to show on the royal's face. "Now he was a fine example of my argument. If you knew him three or four years ago, you'd laugh if you knew where he was now."

"Oh?" It was Shingi, apparently no longer in conversation with Ebizo and Doki, who decided that he would join his fellow politician in talk. "Now which friend are we talking about there, Prince-sama?" –said the older man while flopping down on the seat opposite the prince. "Perhaps an a acquaintance we have in common?"

Anko caught the prince's smirk grow.

"Yes, actually." He told the councilor. "-As we have both worked rather closely with him before." Rikudo poured himself, Shingi, Temari, and Sakura a saucer of sake before capping the bottle, placing it back on the table and continuing. "Remember how he simply did not seem to get anything the first time, or the way he would end up embarrassing himself in front of Lady Koyuki by asking for her autograph when he first saw her?"

The samurai laughed in the same manner he had when he had been discussing Chiyo just minutes ago: "Yes, it's a good thing he wasn't easy to embarrass, otherwise he would have been mortified by the looks he was getting from everyone present."

Anko kept herself content to listen to the two males who were seemingly locked in a world of nostalgia that only they knew of when he caught a glint come from the girl sitting next to her.

A purple brow rose when she noticed the look Sakura had, the kind the special jounin knew she was wearing when she recognized the expression the prince had that was so similar to the Fourth Hokage's. That glint of familiarity the Haruno exhibited at the description Rikudo gave and the way the former's mouth opened to ask a question.

Anko kept her brow raised, her anticipation growing as she observed Sakura pull her nerves together to ask whatever question had been picking at the younger kunoichi's mind since the prince mentioned his old friend.

Seconds later, the special jounin had to cover her mouth while her shoulders shook quietly at the face Sakura made when the question was cut sinfully short by the restaurant owner's announcement of dinner.

~TtT~

The moment Sakura heard the description the prince gave his so called 'friend,' she thought her hearing sharpened and her mind clear just a little so that she could absorb every word that fell from the royal's mouth.

At the end of the talk, or at least whatever segment of conversation the two nobles decided to pause at, the Haruno prepared to voice her question regarding the friend's identity.

Now, basing on her previous assumptions, she knew that by asking the prince of this friend, she might be telling him that she knew about Naruto. But against such reasoning, she combated with this thought:

_He would not mention any information regarding Naruto if he was not willing to risk sharing it._ She stared at the purple eyes that were making no contact with her. _For even if he deigned to give me a false name, at least my question can be categorized as innocent curiosity, though he may not see it as such._

The question was at the top of her tongue now, only waiting for her left hand to pat the other teen's shoulder so that she may garner his attention.

_Or maybe I'm just over thinking things?_

She felt her eyes widen as the traitorous thought slipped in, making her bite her lower lip and her brows furrow as her hand hesitated to make contact mere inches from the prince's elaborately dressed shoulder.

_Am I? Maybe I should talk to Sasuke about this?_

In that instance, when here mind was so deep in contemplation that the slightest stimulant could have thrown her train of thought of the rails and over the mountainside, did she feel her mind pull in three different directions.

Her foremost point of focus at that moment, the prince, the short bout of clapping hands of the establishment's owner who announced dinner, but the latter was but a small disturbance compared to the sudden sliding open of the door to reveal the very friend she had given a sliver of thought to enter the hall.

The distraction left her with a blank face, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish's at half the pace her eyes were blinking.

She was certain she looked amusing if her senpai's reaction, which was to laugh into her palm, was anything to go by.

Sakura only had one thought as she glared at her teammate when he sat across her seconds later, closely followed by two bowls of rice and the first serving of chicken curry:

_Sasuke, you are __**screwed**__._

~TtT~

Five minutes.

That's how long a peaceful meal Sakura gave Sasuke before the first evidences of irritation began to show.

She knew he would recognize the signs; all things considered, she had made it a point to beat it into him over the past three years.

It began with a raised eyebrow while she kept her eyes on whatever may have held her attentions at the time. Though, if the silence that accompanied the air of growing tension pervading her had anything to indicate things to him, the aforementioned slight movement to her face got his eye staring. This was followed by several clicks of her tongue in mock disappointment which served to tell him that the message she was trying to convey was done more intentionally than anything else.

All expression left the Uchiha's face at the sound as his hands kept passing food into his mouth while he kept all focus on his teammate.

The male's reaction also served as a return message to Sakura, telling her that he acknowledged her ire and was already anticipating whatever she might have planned for him. Now, she knew that her reactions were often aggressive, bordering violent in a manner that she did not express to Sasuke until two-and-a-half years prior but the location was not ideal.

And to add to that, the desire to question him about his little tour was a greater interest than her tempting inclination to punch him, so she opted for the latter of the two choices:

"So," the female began her question after washing down the rice and chicken with some tea. "How was your '_tour_' this afternoon, Sasuke?"

The sentence was laced with a false sweetness that was apparent enough to even catch Anko's attention; well, Sakura noticed that the special jounin didn't really have anything else to pay attention to considering the latter's only immediate company were the pair of genin.

The younger kunoichi, however, smirked inwardly at how her teammate managed to keep his cool despite the grilling that he knew was coming.

"Fine," He replied after swallowing what food was in his mouth. "I managed to get a good look at several points of interest, and I now have a general layout of the village." He shrugged. "-Barring military areas, of course."

The answer was brief and simple, albeit the little detail that her friend seemed had innocently failed to mention.

Sakura's irritation was appeased to a degree at the opportunity that presented itself to her as she prepared to strike at his raised defenses with a weapon that had yet been used on him.

"That's good to hear, Sasuke." She nodded sagely, her brow no longer raised and her eyes closed and hiding whatever gleam Sakura's eyes held that she knew she showed. "-Though you seem to have forgotten one tiny detail about your outing that you haven't spoken a word of since you entered."

The Uchiha's response was the predicted: "I haven't even been here for ten minutes, Sakura."

Another nod from the girl, this time her lips pulling upward into a smirk; one that was half amused and half knowing.

"You're right, you haven't, but you're still avoiding the fact, Sasuke." She looked at him with glittering eyes. "So, you've shared you're the outcome of your trip around the village, unfortunately, you've yet to mention your _company_ this last afternoon."

Sasuke gave no immediate answer, opting to remain silent for a few moments and to study face of the person across him so that he might, in Sakura's opinion, prepare his reply in such a way that he may deflect any further negative emotions being directed to him.

"She proved to be informative company, to say the least." He finally said, testing the waters. "I wasn't bored or annoyed dealing with her; if that answers the question I can see you want to so badly ask."

Immediately following this statement, both teens found themselves turning to the special jounin to Sakura's right who was now openly snickering.

"Really, Uchiha-kun?" she asked him with a wry grin. "Your finding such a person might mean the sky is falling soon!" she took her saucer of sake to her lips and downed the drink. "Or is how she's treating you the real settling aspect? Should I inform Hokage-sama that he should start preparing an arrangement between Suna and us?"

Whatever worry or caution Sasuke had toward his teammate disappeared when he heard Sakura giggle in response to the older kunoichi's words, and he smirked before deigning to say: "I don't think the world's ending yet, Mitarashi-senpai, though I'll admit the way she treats me is some fresh air compared to how most of the girls are to me back home."

"You know," It was Sakura this time, who spoke. "If that was your only basis for getting interest in a girl, why haven't you shown any towards Ino, Hinata or I?" her eyebrow climbed her face once more. "We've been casual with you these past years, haven't we?"

The Uchiha scoffed.

"True, but you weren't exactly like that three years ago, and neither were most of the village girls." He took another piece of chicken and ate it. "It's not easy to have guy friends when they're crushes are all crushing on you, remember that." Sasuke added, waving a lecturing finger at Sakura after he swallowed the aforementioned food. He drank more tea before he added: "Besides, I never said anything about 'taking interest,' so what if I wanted to make some new friends?" he shrugged. "I might find those connections useful in the future."

If either female had any intention of replying, they were not given the opportunity to, as Rikudo apparently took that opening to start conversation with the talking Konoha-nin as Shingi fell into a discussion with the Kazekage, Temari, and the mentioned kage's student concerning the upcoming academy finals.

"Well now, I think I can expect _some_ encounters with you in the political arena, Uchiha Sasuke." The blond was grinning slightly as he said this. "Or perhaps I might even be speaking with the next Hokage?"

At this, Sasuke did something that wasn't found all that common in public places if any of his friends knew well enough:

He laughed boisterously with his eye closed and his shoulders shaking.

"I don't think you should expect that any time soon, Prince-sama. I might have such ambitions for the future, but I'm in no hurry to achieve them." The Uchiha said after recovering. "Sorry if that sounded a bit manipulative, but I only meant that it would be good to have some friends in places other than Konoha."

Sakura observed the exchange of the two males, turning from the prince to Sasuke and back at each reply while doing her best to hold on to every word they said.

"Shall you share the identity of this mystery woman, then?"

The Uchiha nodded once in assent and said: "Akiudo Karin was her name."

This time, it was the prince that took to laughing, although choosing to do so in a manner that was not as expressive as his partner in conversation had been. "So you ran into Genma's little girl?" Rikudo took his saucer and drank more liquor. Setting the porcelain down, he added: "That's a feisty one, I'll tell you, so if you managed to snag a date with her, then you were most fortunate indeed, and I shall applaud you for that!" he finished the sentence by placing his left hand on Sasuke's right shoulder in a gesture of approval.

The male Konoha genin merely shook his head in response, his eye giving away a thought that Sakura could not identify: "It wasn't so much a date as it was a casual stroll around the village. She ran into me by accident, and I helped her up." The grin he wore grew at his next words: "I just ask that she tour me around Suna as payment."

Sakura looked to her right when she heard Anko clicking her tongue as the latter shook her head.

"I should've known, Uchiha-kun," she sounded disappointed despite the smile she wore. "A gentleman doesn't ask a lady for payment when he does a good deed. You make me wonder why you have so many ladies after you back home."

Sasuke answered her with:

"Welcome to the club, senpai." Sasuke shook her hand. "And to make myself _really _clear, I never said I was a gentleman." He was grinning in a manner that reminded Sakura of the teammate the person to her right resembled so closely.

But before her mind could even comment on the thought, the Konoha shinobi turned to the prince.

"On my way in, I saw a sign for a bar that pointed to this lot, does this restaurant have a bar in it?"

Rikudo nodded, telling him: "Yes, it's on the east wing of the building, but you can access it from a hallway that connects to the garden." The noble turned around to point at the sliding panel to his right that had no illumination showing through the translucent paper, telling all who looked that it led to a dark place. "The hallway is never lit," he returned to gaze at the person who he was speaking to, both males smirking at each other. "But I am certain you shall find the light at the end."

Sasuke merely nodded his thanks before moving to stand while Sakura, taking notice of her friend's apparently imminent departure, grabbed his arm before he could move out of her reach and asked him softly:

"You're leaving already?" her tone was accusing and somewhat curious which fit her next statement: "Are you okay? You've barely spent fifteen minutes here."

The male gently pried her hand off his arm and replied in a reassuring tone: "I'm fine;" he was serious now, no smirk on his face and no spark in his gaze. "I just need a drink and some time to think, that's all."

The teenage kunoichi nodded in silence, looking to the empty plates and seat he left behind as she waited for him to go through sliding door, turning to the prince when she heard the ever so soft sound of wooden collision behind her.

"Is the bar usually empty at this time of night?"

Sakura was aware of the possibility of his overhearing her soft-spoken conversation with Sasuke considering his place to her immediate right.

His response, both what was said and acted, told her that he may not have heard, or had heard but preferred to act as though he did not:

"Usually, it wouldn't be empty" he informed her with a raised eyebrow. "But since the government is currently in mourning and most of the people with it due to Elder Chiyo's recent passing, I am sure that most people in Suna had decided to stay at home as a means of paying respect." His lips pursed and the singly raised brow lowered to hug it's twin as though the prince doubted asking his next question: "Have I done something I should have not done with regard to Uchiha-san?"

Sakura merely shook her head, licking her lower lip as she did so.

"No, it's just that Sasuke would rather not be bothered when he goes drinking alone, so I worried that he might not find what he was looking for."

And the Prince said nothing else, the resulting atmosphere giving the kunoichi no security to ask the question she so wanted to prior to her teammates arrival.

~TtT~

Uchiha Sasuke raised his hand to his lips as he finished drinking his first bottle of sake.

Placing the object top the table, be cast another look around the bar of the Blackened Hand and, once again, found it void of all life save the white-haired bartender who was cleaning glasses with a monotony that his green eyes seemed to scream to the world.

He'd been sitting there for half an hour now, letting his thoughts run rampant – one concerning the news of the upcoming reinstatement of the chuunin exams, another regarding what information the prince had shared with him that fateful night days ago, the suggestions, the questions, the leads he had about Naruto at the moment, and how Ame and the shogunate fit in all this while taking into consideration Oto and Orochimaru – as the small amount of alcohol we has drinking began to sit in, but despite the distraction that he kept himself occupied with, fifteen minutes into his wait, he was left thinking the prominent thought:

_What the hell is taking her so long!_

It was a timely thought, however, as the fates chose to appease him the instance he took a break from his mental rant that seemed to gain that bartender's attention so, if Sasuke's facial expression was anything to look at.

When he felt the skin of her arms slip under his jacket from behind and clutch at the bare skin of his chest, he drew a deep breath and told her in a soft yet accusing voice:

"You're late."

The Uchiha felt her hot breath tickle the back of his left ear as she giggled at his words. She responded, saying: "Ever heard of the saying that we 'ladies are never late?'"

The way he felt her body heat seep through the clothes he wore and that told him just how close she was, his tongue sticking out to moisten his lips as he noticed that they began to feel very dry. His black irises traveled to the left corner of his gaze as though he wanted to look over his shoulder but could not due to the physical contact they shared right behind his ear.

It was the sharp clunking of the bartender's sandals that told Sasuke that it was just he and his companion now.

He made his reply, finishing the quote she began: "'It's just that we men are always early?'" he forced his right hand into motion, letting go of the bottle he held and moved to grab two of the remaining bottles on the counter. Raising them in the air at just the right height so that she may see them, he asked her: "Up for a drink, Akiudo-san?"

Rather than giving the shinobi an actual response, Karin did something Sasuke had not expected, considering the fact that the bartender was no longer there and that there were no other people present.

The Uchiha heir was absolutely sure that she was grinning when she bit his earlobe and began to rub her hands up and down his abdomen in such a way that he felt he might have shivered; although, the sudden sensation of paper rubbing against his skin made him ignore even contemplating whether he did such a thing, anyway.

He felt her blow against the lobe she bit before saying:

"The paper has all the answers and leads you wanted." She pulled away, taking both offered bottles and sat down on the stool to his left while opening them. Handing one back to his waiting hand, she added. Smirking at him then winking: "Thank you for your patronage; the master has asked me to leave you a gift, and you'll find it a scroll in your bag at the hotel."

They toasted then downed the whole bottles, Sasuke mentally blaming the alcohol in his system for his lack of resonable reaction to her previous actions.

~TtT~

"_First question:_

"_Was there any word of prisoners of war following the attempted invasion of Konoha that were never made known or confirmed?"_

-Uchiha Sasuke

* * *

_**Good God!**_ This chap was by far the longest non-climax chapter I have ever written. (Albeit the first part felt awfully pointless / none too important and left me feeling really lazy)

**Post Chapter Questions:**

The account for this chapter was given by one of my new Ame 'OC's,' regarding the way the prince was expected to handle social events. What do you suppose this speaks of his personality as a character, and the role he may be playing in the future.

Looking at the account and what assumptions that can be made using past accounts or conversations you can recall (ref: Lord Rikudo's account on chapter 22), speaks of the prince's past?

Based on the conversation Sakura had with Urashima Motoko, what opinion do you have of her or the way she seems to represent the shogunate in general?

Over the course of the story, I am certain (or at least hope) that you have noticed that I favor centering the scene's on Sakura an/or Anko's point of view whenever possible, and since I seem to base a good deal of character-opinion-based thoughts from them. Looking at their character in the anime and mange (while taking into consideration the fact that this story is in fact AU), do these two characters hold at least the most basic aspects of their personality? Or am I way off course?

When the prince described his view of children, what did this tell you of his personality? What about the way he answered Sakura's query about giving his thoughts from a father's point of view?

More questions have been presented this chapter…

Do you feel that perhaps the prince had intentions with regard to his follow-up to the answers he provided Sakura? (His citation of a friend) If so, what do you suppose it is?

There were once those that wanted to know when / wondered what interactions there would be between team seven (disregard Kakashi in the case of this chapter) and the Prince of Rain, and we have the first tastes of that in this chapter.

What were your thoughts after reading through the conversation over dinner at the celebration, and how would you describe their interaction?

-For the final scene and the closing account…

The way the scene was described has left me at odds with myself. Primarily making me wonder whether I could do _more_ to make this seen feel…

I am at a loss for words.

-Suggestions or comments on it, if you are willing?

Now, regarding the closing comment, and Karin's last line, what is your opinion regarding Sasuke's first question to Karin (this feels like a giveaway in my point of view), and what do you think this 'gift' is.

Who's the 'master?'

Thus ends this update.

Do tell me what you think, please?

_Sincerely,_

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	27. Games for the Masters

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Pre-chapter Notes / Rant:**

Greetings, dear readers;

I have been reading a fair number of stories over the last three years, most especially on the Naruto category.

Now, that also means that I have encountered some tales that talk about the Sharingan at length (okay, so maybe not really at length), and I have come to notice that some have really pointed it out as unfair.

To be perfectly clear, I am talking about the Sharingan and none of its higher forms (Looking at Mangekyo, I start to wonder if these Uchiha are even considered human in the biological sense).

Some have voiced (through their stories), that the bloodline is rather unfair based on the argument that it is capable of copying techniques used by other ninja when the wielder of the dojutsu sees it.

Personally, I will say that it isn't exactly 'unfair.'

All things considered you can't really call war fair as there will always be a deciding factor that tips the scales of battle in one direction or another. It can be terrain, timing, strategy, or, as seems rather favored, complete and utter OP-ness (as some of my gamer friends and I like to say 'imba').

The Sharingan is just another one of these advantages; true, it is a bloodline and thus an advantage restricted solely to the Uchiha but then again there never seems to be a lack of abundance for such bloodlines in the Naruto universe (canon or otherwise).

It is only right that one use every advantage and opportunity given to them, or it all just ends up becoming dead weight.

I actually reinforce this with Sasuke's speech about using power that he had not earned. (chapter ref: PoR Arc 1: Chapter 14: Scene 2)

Now, I hope that I am not insulting anybody out there, I honestly am just giving my own stand on things.

Let's move on to review responses which are now subject to format so as to not make you go 'TLDR' on me:

* * *

**Review Responses: **_(in order to avoid the much-hated occurrences of the dreaded 'wall of text' I have now started to format my review responses; subsequently, this means longer responses)_

_**R-dude**_

-_**E**_rror noted, and I shall edit that one soon; thank you for pointing that out. Now, with regard to my pairing with the prince, I can honestly admit that I already have my plans for that.

This story is set in the Shippuuden era, so it's three years following the chuunin exams.

Well, for the scene of Sakura, think of it as though she had her mind on one too many things at a time, as she was talking to herself while at the same time mulling over what the prince said _and_ keeping her attention on what is happening around her (a must for ninja). When Sasuke entered so abruptly, she sort of just snapped. Does that clear thins any?

Thanks for the suggestion, and it has been duly noted; the proper response to this part of your review is on the post-chapter notes / announcements as I might as well tell everybody else.

Lol at the ladies man comment.

Now, on the topic of the comment regarding my questions, I will have to politely disagree. I'll openly admit that I am still learning as a writer and have yet to find my solid writing style. The questions are mainly directed to giving me feedback on aspects that I feel I may be lacking in (anything that has to do with highs and lows of emotion and feeling), and how the clues I am dropping are being taken or if they are being noticed at all. It helps me figure out what clues I should make more obvious and which ones need to be made more discreet to achieve that '_just right_' level or mystery.

Though, I'll admit, the reviews are a sinfully ulterior motive.

-As for the recount of the previous chapter…

(Chapter ref: PoR Interlude – Arc 2 chapter 26)

Basically, the primary events here revolve around the entrance of Ame and the shogunate to the story. Urashima Motoko arrives in sand to deliver the official invitation to the chuunin exams that are being reinstated. She us subsequently invited by the prince to the dinner event being held that night. The rest are clues / questions.

_**Winnow**_

-_**A**_n excellently posed question, I must say. I had dropped subtly (or perhaps not so subtle) clues with regard to this one, and I am proud to say one of the first major clues for this might be found in this update.

Hmm… On the topic of the prince's discussion on children, thank you for sharing your thoughts on that.

I am also very happy to hear that my characterization is good so far. It's one of my more tender insecurities in the story, actually.

_**warriorx559**_

-_**T**_hat is a rather interesting view on how Temari felt over the course of the last chapter, and I thank you for sharing it.

With regards to Lady Shoujouhi, though, that may take a while, as her actual appearance isn't set yet (her tentative appearance, though is a long ways off), but perhaps you may find a few snippets of information hidden in discussions or descriptions.

Equality of view, it's a novel choice of words to describe the prince tirade, and there is some truth in it, I will have to agree.

I am also glad that I'm able to keep your interest.

_**SomebodyLost**_

-_**Y**_ou have a good point; it _did_ become something else.

I guess I could say that I've been trying to show a different face of the Naruto-verse, one that had gone oddly unnoticed until that part where they showed the Land of Iron near the start of the Fourth Shinobi War in canon, so the plot in general has become more than a little multi-faced considering the different aspects and ways of life of the ninja and the samurai (nobles or otherwise).

I am _trying_ to capture that, though I can't be sure if I am succeeding.

Good God! Charles zi Britannia is no longer a muscular seventy-something year old! The world must be coming to an end!

I hope you don't take the above statement as anything insulting, I'm just speaking in good humor. Though, I will admit that your comparison was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. I agree however, there are similarities. (Where's CC / Marianne, then? :)

-On the topic of Koyuki…. ( I have nothing to say.)

Ok, now it's _my_ turn to deal with questions from the reader . It's all good.

Hmm… I'll honestly have to say that it never really crossed my mind at the time I wrote it and that was why I decided to make him more than a little intoxicated then. Though, I think it's safe to say that basing it on the Sasuke in the story now, and a little bit on the pre-Shippuuden Sasuke, he may have pushed her to arms length, or done things in a far, _far_ tamer manner than what they did in chapter twenty-six.

I already have the end planned out, at least roughly, but I made sure to leave myself some room to change things should I see fit. (the advantage of mysteries is that I can change things I haven't put too much of a buildup for, and I haven't even started on the buildup yet). As for the approx chapter count, I just ended up intimidating myself a good deal looking at it.

Let's say we have an average of twenty-five chapters per arc, then an interlude per arc. Since I tentatively (date is December 1, 2010 GMT +0800) have four arcs, that's approximately a hundred-and-four chapters.

Good Lord, no!

O.o

As for the third question, that's a hard one… I think the best way to answer that is with the simple description that 'I think I'm just not in a right state of mind.'

I can draw, and yes, I have a DA account, though I haven't drawn anything in a few months and it hasn't seen an upload in as much time. I might upload something, but if I do I'll just put it on my announcements section in an update then place the link on my profile.

And I am honored that you seem to like my story so much that it's able to compete with canon in your opinion.

This long tirade reminds me of Witch x Warlock back in CG. Do you still hang out there, by the way?

PS: Anko's official status is 'incapacitated.' She's not dead, not yet, anyway.

_**Rise Against713**_

-_**I**_t's nice to know that I can somehow still manage to keep them in some manner of character despite the changes brought about by the AU components in the fic.

Perceptive, you say….. Most fascinating.

_**HikariNoTenshi-San**_

-_**Y**_ou make a good point.

"My name is Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke."

Though I will have to point out that in my point of view it is a viable position for a shinobi to be in, since like they said in the chuunin exams: it's important to be able to gather information quickly.

_**Gravenimage**__** & **__**Hestia Goddess of the Hearth**_

-_**M**_any thanks for the praise, and I hope you enjoy this update.

_**Drivinmecrazy**_

-_**T**_o be perfectly honest, you are not exactly giving me much leeway with regard to answering your question. I don't particularly mind sharing information, though I _do_ find it depressing if you're not even willing to make some guesswork. I'm not saying that you need to answer any questions, but you can at least PM me your guesses so I can point you in the right direction.

It would also make it easier if I could somehow PM _you_ as, even if I was willing to disclose the answer to that particular query, I would _most definitely_ not be willing to share it via a public review response.

~TtT~

Now, that's it for this set of responses O.o

I hope you enjoy this installment.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_

_**PS:**_ Chapter actual word count: 5,524

* * *

_**Arc Two: Chapter Three:**_

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**_

**Games for the Masters**

"_When you speak of your reasons, you make me think…_

"_You will soon find that whatever respect and acknowledgement you sought, you shall find here._

"_And if you play your cards right, you shall find it in spades."_

~TtT~

The light granted by the full moon was always something that cast the night in a gentle glow, giving anyone that walked outside a soothed spirit and a secure conscience knowing that what little light that was given would be enough to light the paths of many.

But in the dark rooms of the palace of Urashima, it was a different case.

With the unending onslaught of heavy rains, the heavy clouds blocked out the moon and covered the land in gloomy darkness; only the occasional flashes of lightning and clapping of thunder breaking the relentless pitter and patter of the falling water.

The servants had already been sent home for the night and all of the shogun's more distant relatives were at their respective estates, leaving only his personal retainers to walk the singing halls of the manor. For not even the noble's wife was there, having gone to the other fiefs to deliver the message that he was originally to bring.

There was a white flash before the sky rumbled in barely concealed anger, illuminating the rest of the room that the lone candle on the nightstand failed to reach and showing the sole occupant to be dressed in a maroon kimono and white hakama, his long brown hair tied in a ponytail that fell to his upper back and his weapon of choice hanging from his belt. He was a lean man of twenty-three; his eyes were large, round in such a way that it made him give an air of innocence that his sharp jaw and thin lips seemed to counteract but failed to completely outdo.

The man cast his oaken eyes around the room another time, as though he could actually see with the little light the gold candle fire could provide him. His gaze passed the closed closet door, the empty top of his wife's nightstand, the barren bed, his own nightstand, and the open door to the balcony from which he could see the steel spires of the Village Hidden in the Rain.

Satisfied, he walked back to his desk and took the scroll atop it before putting out the candle with a wave of his hand. After placing the rolled up paper in the inner pocket of his kimono, he walked out of the room and down the nightingale hallways of the palace, down the eastern staircase to the ground floor, and continuing down the central hall before making a right to the stables.

No one paid him mind as he did all this, the retainers not moving from their posts despite hearing the singing of the floorboards. For he was master here and he would be allowed passage unhindered.

All except the lone person that stood before him when he entered the open-aired antechamber where riders would rest after long rides prior to entering the palace.

The following flash of lighting illuminated a purple eye, its counterpart covered by the guest's long hair.

"Good evening, Lord Urashima." He said to the shogun with a nod.

Keitaro eyed the man before him, the following arrival of white flash bouncing off his glasses and hiding the former's gaze as he studied the latter.

"You have most impeccable timing, Lord Rikudo." Keitaro raised his leg while leaving his sandals on the stone and moved to the one of the cushions next to the table on the wooden platform. He gestured to the red cushion opposite him as he lowered himself: "Sit and let as talk."

After the Amekage was seated, he began: "I was informed by my son this morning that he heard from Lady Motoko that you were sick." Rikudo withdrew his hands from the sleeves he hid them in and placed the gloved appendages atop the table with their palms faced down, only the silver blades of his gloves at the end of each finger visible in the darkness that the lights from the city could not illuminate. "When he informed me of it, I made my way here to speak to you." He paused before raising the only eyebrow that could be seen.

"Where are you going, Keitaro?"

To this question the shogun laughed, though it was subdued because of the lack of actual humor behind it.

He waved off the tinge of concern he noticed in the kage's question, saying: "Don't worry about it, friend." Smiling, he added, "I'm only going to the Land of Water then the Land of Earth for a few days then I shall meet my wife at the Land of Fire." A strong gust of wind blew in then, making the hair of both feudal lords whip about with the force. "It's just that I would like to _inspect_ the state of the fiefs with different eyes, and perhaps look at the accommodations for our activities five months from now at Kirigakure."

Rikudo nodded in response, choosing to remain silent in the meantime.

Keitaro raised a brown brow: "Though I am surprised that you would come in person rather then sending a messenger or a raven to inquire about my health."

It was the Lord of the Land of Rain's turn to wave his friend's query, answering: "This is hardly a formal meeting, Keitaro." The shogun was certain he saw a small grin through the darkness then. "I came to offer you some of the Scarlet if you were indeed ill enough to require little Motoko to take your place at work, but finding you getting ready to go for a trip…" Rikudo tilted his head to his right and craning his neck slightly, as though trying to look over the table.

Keitaro, knowing what the older man wanted to see, raised his sword in time for another bolt to light the room and showing the blood-red handle wrapping and the golden skull pommel with the red silk braid that hung from the aforementioned skull's mouth which was tied to a black Magatama bead.

Nodding in satisfaction at the sight of the weapon, Amekage Rikudo continued: "Perhaps I shall just offer Rai to accompany you?"

The younger of the two nobles placed his right hand on his chin and thought, recalling the offered company to be a good travel companion the last time Keitaro was decided to travel with the latter. His chin dipped in an ever so subtle nod before he heard the flutter of wings of one of Rikudo's ravens flying of into the storm to inform the Storm Royal that would accompany the former.

"Raitora Yoshimitsu shall meet you at the northern gate that leads into the mountain pass." Lord Rikudo whispered.

Keitaro nodded, saying:

"Shogun Urashima Keitaro is feeling unwell, due to this misfortune, Lady Urashima Motoko, prime and sole consort of the shogun has taken up his duties as he recovers, while his heir, little Urashima Ibara has been spending time with Lord Rikudo's second child – his daughter – Rikudo Tsun, and shall be at the palace of House Rikudo for at least a week, getting to know her." He enumerated as though he read it from the morning newspaper before breaking out into a grin that matched the Feudal Lord of the Land of Rain's.

"A most convenient set-up, I think." The shogun added. "And while I'm out enjoying myself… _working_, rather…"

His grin still on, the Amekage appended: "You enemies will be busy keeping their eyes on your palace, trying to map out holes in its security in order to get to you or your office," he withdrew his hands back into his sleeves and crossed his arms in a smug manner. "Which, knowing you and the way your family raised you, will be void of all information and objects of interest as they have already been hidden." He placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder before adding: "Former shogun Hina would be proud of her grandson if she knew what mischief you were up to while you worked."

And saying their goodbyes, both men stood to leave. The shogun taking his horse and donning the rattan cloak and hat that would shield him from the heavy rain, he dashed into the night, while Rikudo, who watched the younger man ride out, took his umbrella from the corner and began his walk back to his home where his wife, his daughter, and the continental prince awaited him.

As he walked the streets of Ame, he admired the iron spires and whispered to himself:

"Behold the masters of the art at work, and marvel at how the world bends to our will."

With a soft chuckle, he moved on, enjoying the patter of the rain and the clapping of thunder that he so loved about his home.

~TtT~

There were certain times in the life of Uchiha Sasuke, most especially in the course of the past three years since Naruto's disappearance, he found himself marveling at how much things have changed between he and Sakura. Such thoughts always left him feeling more than a little bit bittersweet, knowing that the loss of the boy he had been coming to consider his best friend had served as catalyst to the former's social growth; it left the Uchiha both guilt-ridden and thankful.

At certain times, particularly when he would see her exercise the strength of will she seemed to have acquired in the last year-and-half, he would find himself wondering how far she had gone and whether or not he could consider trying to be more then friends, and even recalling the exact words Hyuuga Hiashi might have used for such an occasion, he thought:

_~ "It could be a good match." ~_

Since taking time to talk with the many clan heads of Konoha, he had come to learn many things – including the fact that there were many points to consider when contemplating something of such magnitude as marriage.

It was shortly after his talk with the current head of the Hyuuga clan, the last clan he paid a visit to after councilman Shimura talked the Hokage into reinstating the Uchiha into the high council following its removal during the time of Senju Tobirama. The comment got him thinking, and later got him observing those of the fairer sex a little more than he used to.

Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Sakura; he began his _study_ with the females that he worked closest to, and found that they each had unique qualities that he favored, and others that he didn't. All things considered, if he was planning to rebuild his clan like he said when team seven was first formed, he would need a partner and so much the better if they could work well together.

Following his initial socializing with his fellow ninja, a feat that he managed on Hinata's birthday two years prior, and continued until the present, Sasuke came to the decision that he would wait things out first in the hopes that he might find a little more than simply compatibility.

_At the very least, they're easier to deal with now than before._

After completing his needed packing and managing to leave what things he felt he might need in times of urgency, he went down to get breakfast. The sun had began just to rise to welcome the new day – the sky only now taking the tinges of purple that signified a beginning, so he had hoped that there wouldn't be as much people eating as it would have been later in the morning.

The Uchiha was not disappointed when he found his female teammate dining on a bowl of rice and some egg rolls.

"Mornin', Sasuke." Sakura greeted him between bites.

He hummed in response, not looking at her as he looked for the tea on the large table in the middle of the room.

This lack of response caused the Haruno to look up with a raised eyebrow, saying: "Someone looks sleepy." She eyed him, taking in his hunched back, and then waited for him to turn to face her so she could confirm whether or not he had dark lines under his eyes. "Or are you nursing a hangover?" her arms crossed over her chest. "How much did you drink last night?"

Two cups of tea in his right hand, and a plate of bread and cheese on his left, he sat down opposite her and whispered how much he had to drink. Of course, he said nothing of the company he was with or how that affected how much he decided to indulge.

Pink brows shot up at his reply: "That much?" she frowned visibly as she gave him another once over before adding: "I guess that could be expected considering how long you were out before going to sleep, but don't you think you should have waited till we got back home?" the medic did not give him any time to make a response. "Was it the news about the chuunin exams?"

Sasuke felt her eyes boring into him, taking in every little movement that he knew his body made involuntarily in his rather unsightly state.

It felt like the last night with Karin all over again.

He decided that he must not have given her the reaction he wanted as she moved on to her next query:

"Was it about the mission?"

Again, he seemed to have not lived up to expectations for she moved to a question:

"…-Akiudo-san, maybe?"

Sasuke fought to suppress a groan that welled up when the muscles that controlled his eyebrows rebelled in a most violent and swift twitch; worse, he knew she noticed the movement the moment he saw her lips pull upward into a smirk he would expect to see on Naruto before he pulled some prank or other.

In an effort to save himself from the coming interrogation, as he had no intention of sharing what information Karin gave him the night previous and much preferred if Sakura thought it was teen drama. He sighed, saying: "It's more a combination of all three." He drank his first glass of tea like he did his liquor last night: bottoms up. "Not to mention I ran into Akiudo at the bar." He sighed. "Turns out she decided to drink while waiting for her father to finish work."

This time his friend made no verbal reply and only nodded in understanding; they continued their meal in silence, Sasuke's mind getting a better grip over his body as the food gave him energy.

Wiping his mouth and drinking the last contents of his second cup, he asked: "So, did Kakashi-sensei mention what time we were leaving for home?"

Taking a sip from her cup, the pink-haired genin responded with a nod: "Yes." She placed her cup on the table. "I think he mentioned something about discussing another change in objectives for Anko-senpai's mission as Rikudo-sama's guard here." She shrugged. "He mentioned the prince needing to stay a few more nights so they're arranging the payment and some of the dates." She looked to the window on the far end of the dining hall to watch the purple sky as it slowly turned orange, yellow, then to blue. "We'll be heading for Konoha a few hours before sunset."

Sasuke nodded in affirmation to the news.

He looked to her: "So what do we do till then?"

The kunoichi looked back to him; her eyes not leaving his even as they leaned back to let the bus boy clear their table.

She sent him another shrug after the other male left them. "I don't know, as I haven't really gotten to go around here." She crossed her arms again and tapped her right forefinger on her elbow, her brows furrowed and thought, and her tongue jutting out to wet her lips.

Sasuke had already asked for another cup of tea for each of them and managed to get through half of his by the time the idea hit her.

"If Akiudo-san took you on a tour yesterday," he saw her eyes focused on him again while they glittered; smiling, she added: "Mind taking your teammate around the town? Maybe even shop while were at it?"

Without much hesitation, and with a good deal of hidden relief, Sasuke agreed.

~TtT~

As it had many times in the past, even preceding the death of her honored mother and father, silence reigned over the bedroom of Rikudo Temari. She knew a fair part of this was due to the fact that she had already moved into her own wing in the building when the fourth Kazekage's wife was pregnant with Gaara, and that none of the people in charge of cleaning would enter her quarters as she reasoned that she would take care of it herself.

She had for fifteen years now and often wondered how she maintained it to a reasonable degree as a three-year-old.

She recalled the night she married the prince: her spouse had deigned to place some of his belongings in with hers, telling her that there was no need to prepare another room for him during his visits as there would be no time that they would sleep separately before she even mentioned any such sleeping arrangements.

It was at that time that she began to wonder if she had been missing something.

But upon arriving at the manor that fateful night, she discovered that he had already done the deed as she noticed the little changes he made, the subtlety of his clothes being added to the lower drawers of the dresser and the chest full of scrolls he had slipped under his side of the bed telling her that he was here to stay and she had no other option but to make the most of it.

So even during his visits over the course of their year-and-a-half marriage, she had been able to keep up her work and training schedule without much fault.

When both she and her husband returned from the celebration the night before, she intended to be up before dawn despite knowing that left her with scarcely three and a half hours of sleep. Thus, after changing and being told by the prince that she should sleep ahead so to avoid any untoward events that would rob her of sleep entirely, she lay on her bed.

Knowing that she had left her alarm on, and knowing that her body usually woke itself up before the uproarious thing could disturb the peace of the house, she let herself fall away from the exhaustion that a mission and social activity left her with.

Yet when she awoke hours later, a small part of her mind wondered why her green eyes did not snap open nor did she bolt into a sitting position while the rest of her conscious thought continued to be dominated by the lethargy of a sinfully enjoyable sleep.

It was a few minutes later that she felt the light touch her face and shoulders, the sensation making her shudder.

Her eyes closed in an instinctual response to it, to her mind's waking up when her body was not yet fully willing to, by squeezing them shut and attempting to return to the land of dreams while pulling her arms toward herself that she might draw closer to her partner in bed.

She felt the frigidness of her white sheets rub into her bear chest instead of the hard back she so expected.

Yet the cold of the sheets seemed to act as a trigger; for while this coldness called to her, the heat from the sun shining through the open window seemed to claw at her with hot iron. The oddness of the unwelcome sensation pulling her thoughts into motion:

She recalled that she was supposed to be up before dawn primarily to do her morning exercises and make a surprise checkup on the guards then perhaps…

And the cavernous darkness that was her mind fell silent as all the cacophonous voices inside it, dominant or no, observed that such a contrast of high and low temperatures of such nature as she was subject to at this point in time was most definitely _not_ something to expect when waking up at five-thirty in the morning, for the only heat that her skin should have felt at that time was the prince's.

_I have overslept._

All notion of sleep left her when the realization hit and she made action what ideal she expected hours before: Sitting up with the thin sheets at her waist with her eyes wide and looking to the clock…

It read a quarter past nine.

~TtT~

When she arrived downstairs dressed in a pale blue sleeping robe, she found him fully dressed and sitting down to a complete breakfast.

And judging by faint stains of sand on the lower edges of his black hakama, he just arrived from outside.

He was already aware of her presence, she knew, for he didn't even bother to look to her to confirm her identity when her feet made a dull thud as they hit the wooden stairs that led to the dining room but looked up as soon as the nightingale of the ground floor sang its first note.

"Good morning, Temari." He said before drinking more tea while his eyes were on her. Placing the cup back down, he gestured to the seat opposite him and added before looking back down to the paper he had been studying: "Why don't you sit down for some food?"

Still looking at him, she obliged; sitting down and taking the chopsticks to begin her meal.

After taking her first taste of rice and river fish from the Land of Rain, she said:

"You went out."

"Yes." The royal instantaneously said with a nod, still not looking up from what he was reading. "I'm sure you remember that today was the graduation of Suna's ninja academy." He placed the paper down and looked to her. "I must say, it's an impressive count this year, no less than thirty new genin. Suna should be fully recovered from the economical decline from over a decade ago soon enough."

Temari recalled the economic decline from her younger years, or at least what brief flashes that remained of that pained time which started when she was three and continued until the invasion three years ago. She recalled the despairing visage of her mother as the latter screamed, cursing Suna and all of Wind as she drew her last few breaths.

For even if she chose to never mention it, the kunoichi would never forget what she saw when she snuck into the room through the upper floors of the Sand Siblings' little estate, looking down from the space between the stone beams that stood sentinel to the round room.

And things only got worse from there, eventually culminating in her father's death so that the daimyo at the time could fatten his pockets more efficiently.

It was days after returning from Konoha that she received a little note that her father left her before leaving, making her wonder if the man actually expected to die on the meeting with Orochimaru.

_~ "Remember, daughter: Duty first, country first" ~_

She still had the note in her room, hidden in the little jewelry box where she kept her mother's earrings, one of her father's kunai, and the toys her brothers kept from when they were children.

The feudal lord of the Land of Wind had been found dead exactly seven days later, the news coming hand-in-hand with shogun Urashima's declaration of indefinite ceasefire among the shinobi villages that were at war. She remembered the cheers that resounded in the streets when they heard the vassal call it out, knowing that warring with Konoha at the state Suna was in would have spelled decimation for the latter village.

The kunoichi reached for the cup of tea the prince placed in front of her after she heard the porcelain knocking against the wooden table. She felt herself choke when the extremely bitter liquid entered her system, the sudden instinctual gasp she made forcing the now warm tea down the wrong biological track.

Several seconds later, after having recovered enough from the shock of finding her tea more than a little odd, the eighteen-year-old ninja was trying to cough out the tea that entered her lungs while her husband rubbed her back.

"You…" She began between coughs. "You poisoned the tea." There was a slight tremor of fear in her voice as she said this, instantly recognizing the specific poison that had been mixed with the beverage and how it killed. That tiny bit of panic starting to set in as she scoured her mind for the name of the antidote and where she could find it within the time it took for the poison to do its work.

But before anything could come forth, she felt the pressure of Rikudo's grip around her wrist as he turned her hand face-up, and the weight of the little glass vial being placed atop her palm.

"Drink that-" He told her, what accustomed warmth he had when he greeted her that morning turning to the cold he so commonly showed to those who could not meet his expectations. "And you should be fine."

Without further argument, she opened the little green container and downed its contents. Feeling the bitterness that had remained on her tongue vanish and the starts of a rumbling stomach settle down, she turned to see him back at the place he occupied prior to her little fit. Not taking his eyes off her, he took the pitcher of water, poured it into the same cup she drank the poisoned tea from earlier and handed it to her, saying:

"Bottoms-up." She took it and emptied it, the same bitter taste filling her mouth as the liquid ran down her throat; the prince, meanwhile, took his own empty cup and filled it with tea, then downing the contents seconds afterward.

Sitting back down and placing his cup on the table, he turned his attention back to her, speaking once more in the tone he used when she first entered, sighing: "How far along are you?"

She dared not meet his eyes. "Half the dose you just took."

Temari imagined her spouse giving her a singular nod, but not hearing any verbal signal, she opted to remain silent as the prince thought things over.

Though she finally looked to him when he spoke again: "At that level of intensity, you should already be able to survive the accustomed dose used for assassination." She really saw his chin dip then rise this time as he continued: "Very well, though I would prefer that you make your tolerance higher, I am thinking that will have to do; especially considering your state of health last night."

He kept silent after this, as though waiting for a response to come from her while she graciously accepted the reprieve he gave her to mull over his words.

Once the mission was over, she had assisted with the little recovery work that still needed to be done then attended the funeral of elder Chiyo afterward. She reported to the Kazekage's office to hand in her official report before arriving home to find her husband suffering from an attack on their bedroom floor, for which she treated his injuries and put him to bed where she woke to find herself to be alone in several hours later.

She joined Rikudo at the restaurant for the little dinner party he put together in honor of the elder and the successful mission where she ate, drank, and made merry.

…_-The last three probably being just as taxing as the rest of what I had to do._

But that last thought made her feel off, somehow.

_Ate… and drank…_

And returning to the fact that her body's usual pattern to waking up had not been followed, she understood. Turning to her husband who remained opposite her, unmoving, her brows knit together as she said:

"You drugged me?" noticing the way she said it, Temari knew that he could not have been able to hear, but before she could reiterate her question, he answered her.

"I would not normally consider standard prescription sleeping pills my preferred medium for the type of 'drugging' you are accusing me of, but that would be the case." His answer was said with a tone that told her that he felt completely free of guilt.

This was not something she particularly liked.

"Why?" she asked him with a whisper.

Unperturbed by that little sliver of tense anger he observed in the softly said word, he told her his reason in a tone that spoke of finality: "You needed your rest."

"And you're saying _you_ didn't?" she snapped back in a tone as harsh, if not said a little faster than his own reply was.

A pause.

"Where are you going with this, Temari?"

Ignoring the abrupt softening of the way the query was made, she kept up her previous vocal form.

"You tell me that I needed rest," She glared at her husband, meeting his calm eyes and letting that little bit of the outrage that had been tempting her show. "But I only had to deal with minimal injury after the mission, a bruised rib and a few sprained muscles and that was it. You nearly lost you right arm, _my lord_." The kunoichi said the last part with a hiss. "A blackened piece of coal that was attached to your elbow was what I saw last night, and you say that between the two of us it is _I_ that needs rest enough to require drugging?" she felt her hands grip her cup so tightly that she subconsciously feared that the porcelain might shatter.

She pressed on, irregardless: "The state you were in was _nothing_ to put off as a flesh wound or minor injury. You could have at least had yourself checked up at the hospital instead of trying to treat yourself knowing you were in no sate of mind to do it!" here brows pressed together as her anger continued to grow more apparent. She wasn't even looking at her husband anymore as her speaking grew in loudness; she could not bear to. "What if I _didn't _enter the room then, what could have happened?"

She drew in a deep breath, preparing to say more when she felt his hands touch her shoulders from behind and making a wreck of her train of thought.

As though to deliver the coup de grâce, he asked her the one question she had not expected:

His voice soft and his tone flat: "This is not just about my drugging you, is it?"

She let the breath out, and shakily inhaled again as she processed his question while her eyes began to shut.

Leaning forward to place her forehead on the table, Temari replied: "No, it's not." Both her hands broke the vice-like grip she had on the cup she held, her left hand reaching across her chest to grab onto the prince's right that rested on her shoulder.

She let loose a long-winded sigh when she felt the bare skin of his hand – as opposed to the silk or leather and silver of his gloves, and inhaled shakily when she felt him squeeze, the unnatural cold of his newly-healed hand spreading through her in a way that was strangely reassuring; they remained that way a while, the noble acting like a strong foundation for her despite the dubiety that was present.

Temari reveled in it, nonetheless.

It was several minutes before he spoke.

"Upstairs," he began; his left hand rubbed the tense muscles on her shoulder and making her gasp at the feeling. "On my desk, you should be able to find a scroll; the roller is red and gold, decorated with the seal of the shogunate. Read it, then we can talk after you are done."

He broke away from her then, leaving her feeling both warm and cold at the same time as she nodded and stood to do as he asked of her.

Halfway up the stairs, he called her back: "Temari,"

Rikudo's voice was soft this time, but when she looked she was faced with an expression of severity House Rikudo's ruling family was known for.

"I ask that you remember…" he showed her a struggle for words that she had never seen him do, and only heard of such from some of Lady Shoujouhi's stories. "That you are my wife – as much a part of House Rikudo as my mother, my father, or my sister – first, and a shinobi to Suna second."

-And her reply?

Returning his request with a nod, her lips pursed together and her brow held firm in a display of utmost respect, she said:

"Without _a shadow of a doubt_, my lord."

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**Notes / References:**

_**Coup**__** de **__**grâce**__** – **_Deathblow

_**Raitora Yoshimitsu**_ – His first name is based on Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, third Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate; this follows the pattern of my naming scheme for all the Storm royals that have appeared until now:

_**Do Tokugawa**_ – Tokugawa Ieyasu

_**Sui Toyotomi**_ – Toyotomi Hideyoshi

**Urashima Keitaro / Urashima Motoko** – (in confirmation of previously posed queries) Names were taken from Urashima Keitaro and Aoyama Motoko of the Love Hina series, respectively. (I don't own them, either)

**Clarification**_**: the account above has no intended speaker, or at least I don't want you to know about him/her yet.**_

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**Post Chapter Questions / Discussion:**

To be perfectly honest, I truly feel that the account is a giveaway clue, but for the sake of standard operating procedure (S.O.P.), I shall ask anyway:

_To whom do you suppose the question is directed to, and what type of ideas does it give you?_

The first scene gave a taste of what is to come in future chapters with regards to encounters with both the shogun and the current Amekage.

_Looking at the interaction between the two characters in the scene, what do you suppose this tells of their relationship and that of their families?_

_Based on the statement of Lord Rikudo (the elder) regarding fooling spies into thinking the shogun is actually invalid and within the impregnable palace walls, what reasons does the Urashima Keitaro have for taking such actions?_

_Overall, what do you think of my rendering of the two characters?_

In the second scene, I aimed to work through the initial contemplations from Sasuke's point of view. The primary purpose of this was to further present the changes the AU factors have caused him both during the time of the story and the three-year time-skip.

_So when you read through the monologue, what did you think of these changes I presented? Did they seem good yet logical in their reasoning? Or am I way off the mark?_

For the first time in the story if I were to discount that short interaction during the first chapter, I have had my isolated interaction between Sakura and Sasuke as both friends and teammates.

_In relation to the question previous this, how do you suppose Sasuke's change in personality affected Sakura or the other genin of Konoha in general (you can just do some guesswork if you like with regards to the other Konoha genin as there hasn't been that much interactions)? Do you think Naruto's disappearance had a positive effect or not?_

_Do you think my rendering of the interaction was good?_

Moving on to the third / fourth scene, as they can be considered the same, we find ourselves back with the contemplations of Temari and her interactions with the prince. I will honestly say that I had a fair deal of trouble working this one out; especially the more emotional parts (_Were they emotional at all in your opinion?)_. I had made attempts at inserting both clues and questions in this scene, some of them correlating to clues / questions from chapters previous and at least one from another scene in this same chapter.

_What do you think of the thoughts Temari had regarding the time in her life preceding the attempted invasion of Konoha during the chuunin exams?_

In my characterization of the characters, one of the things I am trying to achieve are the minute facades they (or even in some cases) we wear. Some might be rather severe, and some might be minor.

In the case of Temari, I am trying to achieve the middle ground.

_So in relation to the above two paragraphs, does my portrayal of her (in an overall case) seem in-character? I tried to achieve her bluntness and leaning toward honesty, but I'm also trying to show her adherence to duty. Whether this mixed well or not, I'm not sure._

_Did the conversation between the prince and Temari feel… __**right**__ to you? Was it too much? Or was it… __**lacking**__ something?_

_On the topic of clues and answers, what do you suppose that short discussion about poisons was about?_

Near the end of the chapter, prince Rikudo's personality seems to fluctuate, you can agree with me or not, but at least from doing the initial read-over that's the sort of vibe I am getting.

_In the event that the prince __**does**__ have a fluctuating personality, what do you suppose may occur in future events?_

In relation to this, I am trying to delve into one of the familial issues the characters may encounter in a marriage of convenience or duty. What aspect of this, is up for you to guess.

_What does the gesture of the prince (telling Temari to get a scroll from his desk, read it, then discuss it with him afterward tell you)?_

_What do you suppose the prince's last statement regarding her role as one of his wives first mean?_

And lastly…

_How was the read?

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**Post-chapter Notes / Announcements:**

And that ends this week's installment of the Prince of Rain.

Now, R-dude presented a very interesting suggestion in his last review (for Chapter 26), and I will have to agree with him on it.

So I will be making a complete timeline / recap / summary of the events that have occurred in the first arc. I will most likely be inserting it between the interlude and the first chapter of arc two, or I will just be editing the interlude chapter and adding it to the pre-chapter notes either before or after the rant. Or perhaps I should just take a whole chapter for it?

Tell me your thoughts on that, please.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	28. Signs and Signals

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, and I am tired of thinking of creative ways to say this so I won't bother to even try with the next chapter anymore.

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**Pre-Chapter Notes (No Rant):**

Greetings, readers;

_**NOTE:**_ _There is an actual update if you scroll down enough.

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**Review Responses:**

oldman543-_**I**_ am not actually all that surprised by your comment, considering as, much like the last arc, it was expected to start slowly.

warriorx559 – _**T**_hank you for sharing your thoughts. And I hope you enjoy this update.

Rise Against713 – _**I **_ am glad to know that my characterizations were on the spot, and I thank you very much for your feedback.

SomebodyLost

-_**Y**_es, it is – much to my frustration – going to be epic-length like many of the concepts I come up with. CG: NaF doesn't make things any easier either .

I'll take my writing as a philosopher as a compliment; one of the things I actually am enjoying with this fic is getting the change to challenge the norm I feel I've observed with the more common stories that I've found for this category. I am not saying that this would be better, though I hope to make this something different in the way it developed but still make it something that _works_.

Regarding the questions, it's more of my favor to wording things in such a way so as to keep my listener / reader thinking. It just makes me happy t know that I got those brain juices flowing and I wish to know what thoughts they came across.

With regard to Sasuke…. Well, I'm thinking the manga and anime sort of forgot all about that dream of his as apparently, all his goals from the start of the story have been removed, changed, or deemed irrelevant.

It sort of makes me pity the canon Sasuke.

Hmm… on the note of the WxW forum, it's good to be back, though I am not on as frequently as might be ideal, but oh well.

HikariNoTenshi-San – _**Y**_up that was actually the idea I had behind this story on a partial level. I just felt that on some level, ninja had to be involved with _some_ form of under-the-table work. The series just feels to overt to be about ninja now. (no offense intended, of course)

Winnow

-_**L**_et me first begin with a thank you for sharing that enlightening piece in your review for the last chapter.

I will also have to agree with what you said, considering that potential is indeed limited to what something is actually capable of, and that most things entered the world with predestined functions whether we can see these or not.

I will have to keep my reply to your statements about the prince to myself, though I hope you understand why I choose to do so.

I am also happy to know that you find my portrayal reasonable, and I hope to continue to be able to do so.

Elemental-Zer0

-_**T**_his response is for your reviews to chapters Twenty-six and Twenty-seven, respectively. (as the former review had to be sent via the private messaging system due to the length)

That is an interesting insight you have posted regarding the second councilman. As I will mention later at the end of the chapter, I found fleshing out Ame as its own nation difficult due to the lack of characters to use, or at least ones that might show the aspects of it I wanted to portray. The councilman's role is something I plan to expand on in later chapters (though I suspect that you are already expecting this), and I hope that you will find his future interactions interesting.

With regard to my portrayals of Sakura, Anko, and Sasuke (as mentioned in your review for chapter twenty-seven), I am happy that you find their actions within reason and realistic which is something I've been aiming to achieve while I wrote this fic.

Your reaction the prince Rikudo's view on children makes me think of some of those older stories where the noble wishes for more freedom from the duties that his position require him to fulfill. Many thanks for sharing those thoughts.

The way of shinobi is one of subtlety and deception, perhaps it is not always something that is expressed in the field of battle, but away from it as well. Knowing that you picked up on that little detail that I dropped rather softly brings me great joy, and I thank you for your compliments on that, though I hope to be able to engineer scenes of higher caliber than the one you reviewed in chapter twenty-six.

For the commend regarding Sasuke and Karin… 'agreed' would be the best word I can think of.

The closing comment was mal-phrased (I am unsure as to the correct grammar for this), as the closing commentary I meant was the second account I added to the end of the chapter regarding Sasuke's first question, though I will admit that you made a rather astute analysis on Karin's closing statement of which I am very much impressed and interested.

Hmm… your response to the question regarding the account at the start of the twenty-seventh chapter, I will have to point out a failing on my part as the writer as the statement did not contain enough clues (which is possibly an unfortunate result of having all the cards and posing what I believe is an easy question). Though I don't think it is too much of a loss as I am sure you will find my true intent for that clue in the chapters to come.

And yes, I must agree that I felt the same way about giving away an answer to that question as well, though maybe it doesn't hurt too bad to give gifts every now and then considering the coming Holidays.

As always, your commentaries are greatly welcome and thanked for. I once again hope that you shall enjoy reading this update and I wish you and advanced happy Holidays.

~TtT~

Now on with the show…

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_

**PS**: actual chapter word count is **6,594 words

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_**Arc Two, Chapter Four:**_

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight:**_

**Signs and Signals**

"_You're recent actions have left the reputation of your leadership and your family in obscenity._

"_And as my representative in this country you saw fit to throw into discord with the usurpation and assassination of your brother, you reflect such obscenity upon myself and my rule._

"_Thus, as compensation for your lack of ability to care the land __**my house granted you**__ in a manner befitting your post, I hereby strip you of your powers, your title, and your claim to anything that might come from your near-extinct house. I expect you gone from this village within the next three hours._

"_Consider yourself lucky that I find your life so worthless as to not take that as well._

"_And a word of advice, should I even hear whispers of your continued activity in the political or military field…_

"_You had better be prepared to show me just how good a shinobi you are or you will come to understand why I was called the Hellfire before I became shogun."_

-Continental Shogun Urashima Keitaro

~TtT~

High and low, two extremes of location that have been known and made use of by many in the course of human history, something that is so important in many professions

Since time immemorial, shinobi have been known to choose the former of the two options, much rather choosing to jump from branch to walking on ceilings and high walls, always choosing to look at the world from a bird's eye view; whether to try to get the big picture or to simply distance themselves from the rest of the world, remains to be unseen.

He felt the hard thickness of the trees' branches against the soles of his sandaled feet as he did as ninja did, using his chakra to aid his traveling through the starlit night while he looked through the near darkness that was made by the canopy above. This was how the life of ninja has come to be over the course of the past few hundred years, moving through roofs and treetops, killing men, taking treasure, and fighting wars with powers that have given some godlike reputations.

_Oh how fitting that we choose to stay up high and look down on the rest of humanity as though they were insects._

It was his way of looking at it, the thought that came to his mind every time he looked at his village and compared it to the little villages he had come to see on his travels in the last three years: So aloof, isolated from the problems of the other non-ninja villages while they shinobi went and took the jobs that left the latter with broken spirits.

Despite the losses suffered by those that shared his line of work, he was still disgusted at the sheer arrogance held by anyone that had the position, and even more so with they that placed ninja on such a high pedestal.

Right before he made his next leap, he hunched his back and raised one of his arms forward into a downward pounce so that he hung by the wooden extension in front of him rather than standing on top of it.

He let go and let himself fall.

_Since when have we become more soldier than ninja? What happened to those legends I read as a child? Those legends that spoke of battles that lasted but seconds and wars that were begun and ended with the stroke of a single blade?_

The male hit the ground with a run, continuing his dash till he hit the clearing which was lit by a single ray of moonlight.

_We have forgotten…_

He admired the way the light seemed to make the darkness all the more deep, the way it seemed to glow with such magical intensity that some might have believed it strong enough to light up the night with white understanding.

It was false, of course.

_We have forgotten the way the shadows used to be our only weapon; we have forgotten how to take lives while keeping the bodies in condition for proper honoring._

He closed his eyes at the same moment the crickets chose to silence their celebration of the coming winter.

He closed his eyes and opened his ears so that he may hear the secrets the night might deign to tell him.

_It has now become questions of power and application of it._

Legs shuffled over leaves that fell to the earth earlier than others as the male shot to the left, following the billowing of the cloak he knew he sought to follow.

_Now a question of how much chakra you have and how many jutsu you know…_

His eyes locked onto the deep blood-red shroud, seeing it flutter in the wind as that which he was to follow guided him to his destination.

The ninja followed in long leaps, his sandals breaking the fragile foliage beneath him while the tiny gaps in the canopy above him flashed against the silver of his Konoha headband. In the darkness he found peace, found full understanding of purpose whenever the wind rushed into his hood and ruffled his hair, found his strength of will whenever he hunted a foe that was on the run or some object that needed recovering.

The path the pair followed was becoming more and more complex, riddled with turns as the trees got thicker and jumps and pitfalls whenever the rocks were found too large or too weak to hold human weight.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as the ninja observed that he was moving northwest along the border now, nearing the Land of Rain.

Eyes observed the sudden appearance of an most unfriendly tree as the shinobi of Konoha burst through the last of the foliage before he began his assent up the mountain before him.

He put his arm before him to hook the tree's trunk as he lifted his feet from the ground just enough so that he would swing around the pillar of wood, and landing on both his sandals and resuming his run at minimal loss of speed.

Seeing the rock in front of him, he tucked down into a roll and did a flip so that his chakra-charged feet would touch the upper parts of the rock first before pouncing upward with his arms extended.

At that moment, as the wind rushed against his face, he decided that he would let loose.

Another pair of hands shot out from his sleeves to touch the rock, ebony bone-like plates of skin and dagger-like fingers that dug into the rock pulling him up the wall of stone before another pair shot out from below his jacket to propel him to the side of a tree he saw just as he over the boulder.

Still, another pair came to service, latching onto an adjacent trunk while the pair from his sleeves extended till there were three joints to the arms that held the hands to the shinobi's body and grabbed hold of the trunk immediately across him. He then moved his right hand to the tree to his side while he pulled himself through to look for his next jump's target.

All this he did in the time it would have taken for a person to say two words.

This was how he moved up the spiral path his guide followed up the mountain, winds of the storm that had come during the last few minutes making whatever parts of his clothing that could flutter, do so as he dodged the little holes in the roof of forest leaves that would let the rain and light come through.

His breaths grew faster and sharper the closer to the peak they came, his hart beating louder with every tree he unwittingly marked with the blades of his appendages as he latched unto them and used them as vertical swings as he moved about the shadows.

The jacket he wore was open wide now, only his upper face still hidden by his hood, he breathed deeply while his chest puffed out.

Here, in the solitude and the silence and the darkness that few shinobi of his day dare to _truly_ tread, he felt more alive than he did when he fought others that had more power than he.

The feeling of such exhilaration was indescribable, for it was only something that he could feel; something only those that actually experienced life to such a degree and manner as he could understand.

When he reached the mountain's peak and heard stone crack as his talons stabbed through the cold walls of the cave, he felt like he wanted to burrow through the rock so that he could feel the storm outside and hear the clapping of the thunder applauding his ability.

But the ninja only entertained such thoughts for moments before he withdrew his appendages into himself and walked deeper into the shadowed path before him, pulling his hood down as he did so, the scalp that held his brown hair feeling more cool than usual as the sweat touched the howling wind that flowed into the cave. He felt no less alive now than he did earlier, for even with the lack of activity in the cool air he breathed and the silence that was broken whenever his sandals touched rock, he knew that the shadows held more than the light Konoha seemed to be so immersed in.

He looked at the hundreds of red eyes that gazed at him, observed each of his actions as though they watched for some mistake or error to be made.

Moments later, in an action telling the shinobi that his audience was satisfied with his performance, a scroll shot through the night and was caught in the ninja's hand.

In a voice that spoke with air and ash and ancient superiority, a set of ten eyes near the back of the room glowed more fiercely than the others: "Welcome to the hive, child."

Without any more word or action, the ninja placed the scroll into the pocket hidden in his sleeve and turned to leave the cave.

Passing the tall, hunched-over, red-shrouded guide, the male walked down the spiral path in a pace far more subdued than what that which he took just an hour prior.

In his walking, he had come to the mountain's belt, stopping when he came to the face that gazed to the south where the forests of the Land of Fire thrived, he whispered a message that was meant for the world but was only for the moon, the trees and the rain to hear till a time was right for man to know of it:

"If the shinobi of this day shall run atop the trees in the light of the sun and moon and stars, I shall crawl right under the canopy of leaves and shadow, waiting to pull you down to my level so that I may remind you just what we were oh so many years ago."

And as he turned his back to the land he was born in to return to the post he was expected to be found at before anyone know that he had gone at all, he added:

"For this is my way of the Shinobi."

~TtT~

Mitarashi Anko was a kunoichi that had done bodyguard missions; on more than one occasion she had managed to foil assassination attempts, coups, and other forms of violence that resulted in the death or otherwise permanent incapacitation of whoever she was protecting.

But never in her life has she ever been given a single mission that had its parameters and rank changed so much that it no longer felt like a single mission.

Lifting the dango to her mouth, she took one of the dumplings, consumed it, then chased it down with a drink of chilled tea and diluted sake.

Approximately one week ago, she had been sent by the Hokage to take a diplomatic representative of the Land of Rain on a tour of the village so that the guest may get a better idea of the new nation it was going to ally itself to. And she, who had spent a good deal of her childhood wandering through the streets and exploring even the border woodlands of the village, was one who Hiruzen considered to be an excellent choice.

Now, this practice was something common, and Anko had actually done minor missions of this sort a good deal, primarily with new merchants that were prospecting the opening of new routs to Konoha for their wares. So without much hair or hassle, she accepted and did her mission as she usually would have done.

That short escapade with the alcohol on the first day of the tour was not something she intended.

Then came the whole Kazekage fiasco where her charge decided to take more immediate action and hired leaf-nin to do the work while he remained in Konoha to discuss the finer points of the treaty.

Her C-ranked tour job was upgraded to an A-ranked guard detail to the prince when the royal then decided three days after he first arrived to assist the team Konoha sent to retrieve the Kazekage, hence her presence in Suna.

She ate another dumpling and sighed, slumping in her chair and letting her hear loll back so that she stared at the stone ceiling of the café she was in as she continued her little recollection.

So that was three days of touring, one day of traveling – as prince Rikudo requested that they not rest and traveled at rather high speeds so that they might have made it in time to do some good, and an additional one day for the actual fighting and recovery of the fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure. Five days in total spent for what was considered one A-ranked mission so she received pay worth as much.

At least it was until the prince declared that he would be spending another four days in Suna to take care of some pretext or other and his usual monthly visit which he transferred to that week rather than whatever date it was.

She drank another cup of the slightly spiked tea and wondered if perhaps the little liquor mixed in with the beverage was starting to get to her, or she was simply suffering from an information overload, considering all that she had absorbed during the last two days.

So her mission with the prince was extended by four days, this time days that were spent either following him around as he took care of his work such as being present to view Suna's genin exams, graduation, and team assigning – that was going to be held later that day, or simply wandering the sandy streets of the Village Hidden in the Sand.

It was probably the very first time in Anko's life that she was handed such a large amounts of money for doing little more than what could have been a B-ranked rescue mission – looking at the size of the team that ended up doing it – where she would have earned less than twenty-five percent of what she received the morning the day before when Sarutobi Hiruzen approved her extension.

This amount did not, of course, include her allowance which she got to keep as the prince ended up covering all that she spent while she was within the walls of Sunagakure.

_Six thousand, seven hundred and eighty-nine Ryo…_

The special jounin downed the remainder of her cup when she thought of the amount again. It was just so _large_ that she was still feeling the remnants of the out-of-body experience she felt upon reading the amount she earned in a mission that lasted little more than a week, not including the additional three days' travel time to return to Konoha from Suna.

It was enough to let the Mitarashi settle in and live comfortably for a year, provided she budgeted well enough.

She had already received a refill of her chilled tea, no longer spiked with alcohol this time, and another plate of dango as she remembered:

_Well, if the physical aspects of this mission weren't all that daunting, then perhaps I will have to admit that the mental parts of it are._

In an almost directly inverse proportion to the lack of action on this particular mission, the information she had managed to collect was rather large; though, considering the fact that a fair amount of that information should have also been collected by the Konoha rescue group, she expected to receive less credit than she would have had she been the first one to report it.

Prince Rikudo was good company, someone that she had come to enjoy hanging around and Anko acknowledged that fact.

But as a ninja, she could not turn a blind eye to the sheer overflow of new information she was getting as she remained in the royal's company:

Kazekage Gaara, councilor Shingi and Doki, Lady Urashima, and maybe even that other Rain ninja the Bloody Claw.

That's a lot of connections to have for a ninja, and considering the fact that the shogunate wasn't even something she heard of until just recently was something as well.

So as much as the special jounin enjoyed talking with Rikudo or just even watching him go about his work, she had found herself intrigued and interested in the odd puzzle that was the noble, and the other curious doors he seemed to have keys to.

Glancing at the clock on the far side of the room and seeing the time at eight in the morning on the day after the other Konoha-nin left for home, she turned her gaze to the distant door down the road as she saw the wood part and a figure descend the steps to the place his sandals on the sand.

Prince Rikudo had just come out, and that told her the eighth day of her mission had officially begun.

~TtT~

If there was one thing Haruno Sakura was thankful for upon reaching the border between the Lands of Fire and Wind it was that it meant that she was finally out of the desert sun. For despite the fact that they were no longer in any form of hurry, their leisurely pace caused the four Konoha-nin prolonged exposures to the sizzling heat and the whipping wind of the deserts.

Sakura pulled her brown cloak tighter around herself as she felt a gust chase after her upon setting foot upon the greenery of the border, sending a slight shiver up her spine despite the insulation granted by the clothes she wore.

There was a gold flash somewhere at the corner of her right eye; she narrowed it on reflex so that she might be protected from the light.

The glare was gone as soon as the shadow of a cloud blocked the sun overhead and the female genin identified the source of the light immediately:

It was the golden earring Sasuke now had on his left ear, the one he had bought during that day they spent going around Suna. She had been looking around the lined-up stalls and had entered a shop that held some interesting jackets that she felt she might find use in some of their colder missions. She had just gone out the door, much content with her purchase, when she saw her teammate pass a display of a jeweler's shop right across her and stop. It took him no less than five seconds of looking at the establishment's name, the accessories placed in the glass cases, and a quick look around before he entered.

Sakura was right outside waiting for him when he finished with his business there with a smirk plastered on her face, and she made sure to point out that he had actually bought something that was not purely functional and continued to remind him over the course of their trip so far.

It was an ornate piece, actually; something that made Sakura even more surprised at her long-time friend. A ring that had been plated gold with an iron core that could not be seen, irregular waves, rivets, and groves lined the shining outer layer of metal and served as its decoration.

"Well now," Sakura looked up to meet the brown eyes of another one of her fellow Konoha genin. "Looks like the wrecking crew is finally back on home soil, eh?" the male, who stood atop a hill with the tatters of his old jacket from three years prior tied to his waist, called over his shoulder to a companion Sakura could not see from her location on the opposite slope. The other genin motioned for his companion to come up, saying: "Come and have a look-see, Akamaru so we know what an A-classed mission did to this lot!"

Not bothering to wait for his canine companion to reach him, Inuzuka Kiba returned his look to the four Konoha ninja that were slowly traversing the grassy hillside, a slower breeze coming in to caress his brown hair while his tiny irises reflected a light that was filled with a form of curious smugness.

After giving the foursome a more lengthy look-over than he had when he first caught sight of them and called for his dog, Kiba's grin seemed to shrink if only a little bit, but the pair of raised eyebrows made up for the lack of positive reaction in Sakura's opinion.

"For a group of nin that went out to do an A-ranked mission with a pair of genin, I'd say you look pretty good." His animal companion finally standing beside him, Kiba put his left hand on the crown of the pony-sized beast's head, and said. "Don't you think so, boy?"

Akamaru merely barked once in response before turning around to go back down the hill at a run, his white tail the last thing Sakura saw.

The Inuzuka made repetitive sweeping looks so that he could study all four of the rescue team as the latter neared the hill's peak.

"If the way you look and you're general profile is telling me anything, I'll have to say the mission was a success." He said with an even wider grin before he let the look fall seconds later. "It did go well, didn't it?"

Sakura saw her female teacher place the latter's hands on her waist and the genin could almost imagine Tsunade raising an eyebrow.

"Really now, Inuzuka-kun?" the Sannin asked. "You sound like you had doubts about our coming back or something."

It was the voice of another female that answered the older woman's query, the sound coming from lower on the side of the slope Akamaru went down: "Please don't be offended, Tsunade-sama," Sakura recognized Kurenai as the jounin bowed before the most senior ninja present upon reaching the top of the hill. "I had told him to practice his observation skills on people that might pass by," Kurenai looked to Kiba as she said her next words with a tone that made Sakura imagine a smirk on the teacher's lips. "Well, observation skills that did not involve smell, that is."

To this, Kiba merely grunted and said: "I don't particularly like having to do it, especially considering the fact that Shino and Hinata can easily take care of that."

Another gust hit the group when the sound of ruffling cloth was heard.

To her far left, just coming into line of sight as he ascended the slope, Sakura recognized the earthen colors of Aburame Shino's hood and outer coat.

"You find it a bother to learn something useful, Kiba?" Shino said despite directing his eyes to the four ninja that were coming form Suna, his glasses shining through the shadow overcast by his hood and high collar. He spoke in a low tone, one that still held the strange ability to be heard by those he wished to hear it. "Recall that we won't be a team forever, and that you might need these skills sometime in the future."

Sakura saw Sasuke and Kakashi look to each other for a brief moment after the Aburame heir said this, the sensei giving the Uchiha a nearly unseen nod before Sasuke appended Shino's statement.

"-And if things go according to what we heard, we may even be going to the chuunin exams in the next few months."

The reaction from team eight, jounin sensei, and two of the present genin was immediate.

It was Kiba, thought, that managed to voice anything first; laughing with his arms crossed and his face facing the sky, he said: "Now that's good to hear; at least we'll finally get a shot at getting promoted and no longer having to call Kurenai-sensei here 'sensei!'"

When Sakura thought that the female jounin was readying a retort when the latter placed her hands at her waist, Kakashi interrupted with a light laugh.

"Tired of you sensei already, Kiba?" the male jounin asked, still not taking his eyes of the new book he was reading, as Sakura knew that her own jounin sensei was trying to catch up on the reading he couldn't do during the mission. "One would have thought that you would _enjoy_ having a teacher as attractive as she."

Kiba only laughed harder, his shoulders now visibly shaking with the action while Kurenai let her jaw drop and scoffed at the blunt comment form her colleague. "Don't get me wrong, Kakashi-senpai, I love sensei and all, but it's been getting old having to follow genin protocol with your sensei despite having been doing chuunin missions for the last two years." Having recovered from his bouts of laughter, the Inuzuka decided to stretch his arms upward. "Two years as genin was already pushing it, three is just too much."

Sakura's minute chakra-sensing abilities and the fact that Kiba and Shino turned to look at the slope on the hillside that she could not see told her that there was someone approaching; the female genin was about to ask who when Shino called to the approaching ninja:

"It's good to see you awake, Hinata;" he told the Hyuuga while reaching out his hand to pull her up the last few steps till she too stood at the peak of the hill. "I trust you slept well? You were on watch majority of the night."

Hyuuga Hinata was a girl known for her soft features, her rounded face and wide eyes accentuated the innocence her character portrayed.

The new arrival nodded to her teammate, the purplish-black hair that she grew long during the last three years brushing her shoulders and back with every movement. "Yes I did;" she sent her hooded teammate a small smile. "By the way, Shino-kun, I wanted to ask you if-…"

"Hey, Hinata," Kiba interrupted, Sakura feeling that the news had gotten her dog-loving friend more excited than he ought to have been. "We're you able to overhear what we were talking about while you were coming up the hill?"

It was Shino that deigned to inform her of the information the moment he saw the Hyuuga shake her head in reply: "He is referring to the reinstatement of the chuunin exams for next year."

Hearing the Aburame's response, Sakura immediately felt her eyebrows furrow as she knew that Sasuke mentioned being able to take the chuunin exams again, but she also knew that Konoha's government did not release any information regarding the reasoning behind the canceling of all the exams in the past years.

She also knew that the use of the words 'reinstated' suggested that the exams were banned as opposed to canceled like the Hokage had told them.

The group had since begun their trek back to their home village, Sakura hearing that team eight had been given orders to remain as back-up border patrol on the northern areas until team seven returned from the mission where the former group would join the latter on the journey home. The collective of eight ninja was rather lively and lax, with the two jounin and one Sannin conversing among themselves regarding some of the things that happened to them during the mission while Sasuke and Hinata listened to Kiba as he talked about what the last would do in the coming exams.

Shino had been otherwise silent until he asked a question that Sakura had never expected the Aburame to pose.

"That is a rather nice earring you have, Uchiha-san," Shino's head was turned in a way that it looked to the Haruno that he was looking at the topic of the question out of the corner of his eye. "May I ask where you got it?"

Sasuke gave no immediate answer to the question but simply continued to walk while studying the other genin. It was at this point Sakura was glad to be bringing up the rear of the group so that it had been easier to note her friends' actions.

It was several seconds after the question was posed, did Sasuke smirk in a way Sakura did not recognize and did a glint appear in his eye that Sakura could not place, he said: "Thanks, Aburame-san," his smirk grew into a grin. "I got it at Suna the day before we left, but the person at the store said it was made in Ame."

Shino nodded upon hearing this, saying: "From what the merchants of my clan have heard, the Land of Rain has some of the best metalworkers in the continent."

And as Sasuke returned the nod and went back to his previous conversation with Kiba and Hinata, Sakura – as she felt another gust of wind hit – believed she heard the soft ringing of a bell.

~TtT~

Unlike its four other counterparts, the Land of Water was – as its name implied – more water than anything else, and subsequently required its residents to travel more by boat than on foot should they ever wish to go long distances or visit the other nations. But that was only in the event that one would wish to travel in or out of the Land of Water as to get from the mainland port to any other nation would be a different story entirely. There was no neutral area that could be used as road which branched out to all the nations of the continent.

_And so, _Mused the woman who rode atop the horse to herself. _I am forced to break borders and enter nations I truly have no intention of finding myself in._ she pulled her wide hat over her eyes as she felt the heat of the midday sun hit her and its smothering warmth pierce her traveling coat and kimono. She would at least make sure her scarlet eyes were spared the glare.

She and her companion traveled west towards their destination, but rather than cutting through the Land of Fire as would have been optimal, she had told him that it would be better that they stick to the rural border towns, as per she had learned with the feudal lords on the continent she was on, the protection of national border did not hold much apparent priority.

The woman found herself gazing at the greenery that lined her path over the course of their travels so far; she just could not help but find a little magic in the fact that the country she was crossing remained ever-green despite the onset of autumn that left the northern lands more aflame with falling leaves than green with unblemished life.

The woman atop the horse placed a hand atop her stomach before looking down to see where her shadow stood relative to her, and upon noticing that it was right under her, she called to her companion, her voice as firm in certainty as it was soft in volume: "Chojuro-san," the male that walked with her, the one that went on foot while she rode her horse, looked up.

His dark eyes shone through the high color of his standard-issue cloak and the wide hat he wore to defend his face from the harshness of the ever-summer sun of the Land of Fire. Continuing their walk, she added: "I believe that the time to sustain ourselves is upon us." Her shadowed lips parted into a knowing grin at her faux drama. "If my memory serves me correctly, I believe there should be a little traveler's café a short ways ahead, though I cannot recall if it is open at this hour." The woman gestured ahead with the hand that had been on her stomach. "Would you be a dear and check for me? In the event that it's closed, stand just atop one of the trees lining the road and clap your hand above your head three times and I'll break my horse into a run so we can get to the next café before sunset; otherwise, just stand there."

The Mist shinobi continued his walk at first, keeping his eyes on his client and studying her.

Somehow sensing his doubt at leaving her alone for a few minutes, she told him: "I am fairly capable of taking care of myself for a few short minutes Chojuro-san, I would be shamed to be unable to defend myself from a few highwaymen considering my status in society." She used her hand to stifle a giggle. "Now go, little ninja of the Mist, for I am getting hungry."

The woman watched him dash off ahead using those chakra-enhanced leaps of his and she continued on her relaxed pace.

No less than two minutes later, she saw the little blue blob atop one of the large trees that was her traveling guard and she knew that she would have her lunch on time, and ten minutes later she was tying her horse to the wooden posts outside the little café and inn just another half-hour's walk from the next border town.

Removing her hat as she walked through the door, the artificial light of the establishment illuminated her features – her sharp and narrow eyes, bloody pools looking to take the world in, her high brows, her thin, cherry lips, her dainty chin and little nose. – Details which managed to balance both severity and elegance.

Pulling at the silk chord in her hair as she walked to the seat of her choice, her long scarlet tresses fall down to the small of her back with only the partial topknot and the curls at the tips of her hair decorating her mane.

Reaching the table, she leaned forward slightly as thought to whisper to the table's other occupant and said: "Would you happen to have room to share a meal with an old acquaintance, friend?"

Large brown eyes looked up from the little scroll that the reader seemed to have been so immersed in reading before his own mouth broke into a knowing grin upon recognizing her identity.

"Well, in that case, milady," he gestured to the seat she had yet to occupy. "I see no reason to decline your offer to sit and share a meal with me! Take of your traveling cloak and sit! Sit!" when the woman complied, he added as he gestured for the head waitress, the owner's eldest daughter, to take their order. "I must admit," he continued after both persons chose their meals. "I might have expected to meet you at Ame for your husband's birthday, but I _certainly_ did not expect to run into you during my trips, most favored princess."

The princess smirked at the brown-haired man's remark. "And would you remind me, _old friend_, what name you went by?" the smirk grew and let some of her teeth flash. "You'll have to forgive my poor memory."

"You may refer to this lowly ronin as Nisemono Usotsuki, Rikudo-hime-sama." He bowed at the neck, his eyes closed and his grin impossibly wide.

Their food was delivered right after he said this, the waitress placing two bowls of rice, fried fish, chicken and pork before them so they begun their meal.

"That is an interesting choice of name, friend." She said halfway through her first bowl of staple food. "Did your parents want you to become a fraud or did they just want you to be especially talented at what you were going to practice in the future?" Rikudo smirked when the man across her quickly reached for his glass of tea and downed it so that he may not choke on his meal as he laughed.

"You'd be surprised…" he began after swallowing his water and wiping his face with a piece of cloth he withdrew from his pocket. "…-how little these ninja take into account the meaning our names." He scoffed before taking another bite of his fish. "But it is to be expected from the likes of them, I would have to guess."

She almost sighed in agreement at his words, but decided that there were better things to talk about than the professional differences between ninja and samurai: "So, friend," she took a sip of the green tea in her cup before continuing. "What brings you to the Land of Fire?"

Usotsuki shook his head, his brown hair waving behind him and his glasses reflecting the light coming from the lanterns around them: "I am actually on my way to the Land of Water, to see how its feudal lord is handling things there," the ronin looked around, observing the rather questionable appearances of the traveling patrons to the inn. "I just hope it has better security than this place." He then emptied the contents of his rice bowl and stripped his fish bare before adding: "The Land of Fire is rather open to attack; I am no longer surprised Oto and Suna got in so easily in that attempted attack three years ago."

Lady Rikudo only said the words, "Kirigakure, as it is now, is a friend of house Rikudo, so you can expect if only a marginally better show at least." -Before the pair continued their meal in silence.

After the table was cleared and their cups of tea refilled, Usotsuki decided to ask: "So, you decided to arrive a little early for your husband's birthday, I see…"

She nodded, answering: "I already promised him that I'd be there for his birthday, so I decided to give him an early birthday gift and arrive early."

And finally exchanging goodbye's after continuing their talk and finishing their tea, both people at the table stood and walked toward the door. Just as Lady Rikudo exited the door with her cloak on her back and her hat about to be placed atop her head, she turned to Usotsuki.

"Before I go, Usotsuki-san, please give Raitora-san my regards." She could hear the man laugh as she mounted the horse that Chojuro brought to her. Knowing he would ask how she saw him, she added: "I saw him feeding your horses while I was on my way inside." She turned to look at his grinning face and smiled, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of mirth and mischief. "I bid you a productive trip, shogun Urashima, and I shall see you come October."

Sinking her spurs into her mount's sides, she broke it off into a swift dash with her Kiri-nin companion surprised by her sudden quickness while from behind her, she heard the disguised noble shout:

"And you as well, Rikudo Shoujouhi!"

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**Notes / References:**

**_Nisemono Usotsuki_**** –** is literally translated into "Liar, Liar" hence Shoujouhi's reference.**

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**Post-chapter Questions / Discussion:**

Original Characters are a rather difficult to work with, most especially if the writer wants the reader to be able to deal with them while still keeping them to a reasonable degree and keeping the story plot-centered. This of course, leaves me in a situation where I feel I need to develop the OC's and their relationship with the story.

I find it impossible to include a nation (Ame) which possesses so little character volume without creating at least one OC in order to fulfill the roles I need filled. You'll also have to forgive me for wanting to make them with a little more depth .

_In relation to my two above paragraphs and the account for this chapter (though I would recommend that you also take into consideration his previous accounts and actions), what sort of character can you paint of Urashima Keitaro?_

The first scene was something that was born of many things: both from personal opinion and my observations of the show to actually letting this affect the story in itself. The fact is, that since the samurai are reemerging in this story creates a sort of need to set divisions between the two lines of work.

_Based on the thoughts of the character in the first scene and the way the scene was related, what information do you feel could have been suggested in regards to the state of the world as a whole._

_What could this mentioned 'hive' be? What purpose do you think they serve in regard to what events may happen in the future?_

_Who is the mystery person and what do you think of his character after gaining insights to his thoughts?_

-For the second scene…

_Did the way I write up a scene that occurred in more or less, Anko's thoughts exclusively feel smooth?_

_What do you suppose her thoughts on the prince tell you?_

The third and fourth scenes were a challenge to write, I'll admit. The third one being interaction of the main characters of the show itself where I have to take into account the changes I made in the AU plotline.

_What differences can you see looking at the conversations between team eight and team seven? Do the changes make sense if there were at all?_

_What does Sakura's observation regarding Shino's information tell you?_

_What about the interaction between Sasuke and Shino?_

The last scene functioned more to flesh out the shinobi world better and to introduce another character.

Well, here she is, though only introduced in a vague manner and not really given much action, Lady Rikudo Shoujouni.

_What of her character and possible role is revealed in her interactions with the shogun?_

_Taking into account the way the Shinobi Nations are described and ninja as a whole, what picture is painted for you?_

Post-Chapter Notes:

And that ends this update; as for the timeline, I shall work on it as soon as this chapter has been posted, and I should be done sometime by the weekend should nothing get in my way.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	29. What Lies Beneath

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

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**Pre-Chapter Notes / Rant:**

I wish a belated happy New Year to you all.

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**Review Responses:**

warriorx559 – Thank you for sharing your thoughts, though I am curious as to why Kakashi became your initial suspect. I actually have a reason for that interaction with Sasuke and Shino, though you might have to look at it from a different point of view in order to appreciate is as I would like you to. I also already have plans for Mizukage but you will just have to wait for it. I hope you enjoy this update.

Rise Against713 – I like your choice of words: 'A teetering state…' As for your prediction regarding Shoujouhi's role… Perhaps we can clarify things for you in this update.

HikariNoTenshi-San – That's another interesting choice of words… Let's see if things do end up working out for that mystery person from the last chapter, eh?

Winnow

-_**E**_verything that occurs in the world, large and small, are all connected in some way, shape, or form. You have my full support on that argument.

And thank you for sharing your opinion on my characterization of Anko.

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_**Chapter word count:**_ **6,785 words

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_**Arc Two, Chapter Five:**_

_**Chapter Twenty-nine:**_

**What Lies Beneath**

"_When far feign nearness;_

"_When near, feign farness;_

"_When weak, feign strength;_

"_When strong, feign weakness;_

"_When calm, feign panic;_

"_And when panicked, feign calm;_

"_These are the basics of deception and deceit, the chaos that victory can be found within._

"_Master these two and then your foe's three rules become yours to control._

"_Such is the Art of War as you will come to learn with each lesson I give you."_

-Lectures of Prince Rikudo

~TtT~

Roughly three days following the arrival of the rescue team sent by Konoha to assist Suna in the recovery of their fifth Kazekage, Hyuuga Hiashi paced the halls of his immediate family's residence with an expression that undoubtedly told of deeply-entrenched contemplation plastered across his face. The way he moved about, the slightly brisk walk – with his heels hitting the polished wood first that he made sufficient noise with each step that the other people in his immediate area knew to get out of his way as he paced around the mansion – the way he had his right hand rubbing at an nonexistent goatee that reminded his advisors of the day the clan head lost his wife, and finally the strange narrowing of his eyes on occasion that told of a scrutiny for something that wasn't there.

Hyuuga Hinata remained calm though, trying her best to hide the discomfort she felt whenever she heard her father's footsteps come closer to her door, or whenever she laid eyes on him as she went out; one or two cases of having to deal with the man's strange behavior all day, and the subsequent look he gave her was enough to tell her that whatever it was that weighed on her father's mind had to do with her, and that it was either something very complex or something that perplexed him a great deal.

But if it wasn't enough to warrant words from him, then – as she had come to learn in the last three years – it was best she let him deal with it before making any attempt at prying the information from him.

So she left to meet her teammates a scarce hour before lunch started, specifically seeking the only other clan heir in her team so that she may request his counsel.

"Your father's actions are making you anxious, then?" It did not take him any form of explanation to figure out the reason behind her impromptu visit to his private wing in the Aburame Clan Head's residence. There had been very little that he could not guess right about her visits since the formal announcement of Naruto's disappearance and possible death.

He had served as her greatest confidant and adviser in terms of her relationship with her family.

Shino nodded then opened the door wider, gesturing that she come inside: "I would recommend that we continue this in the garden;" He closed the door and followed her, taking her jacket and hanging it on the rack they passed. "I know the atmosphere there always helps you think."

The private garden that was surrounded by the four wings of the Aburame manor was like a world isolated from the rest of the Land of Fire; while the country was locked in an unending summer, all forms of plant life thriving all throughout the year with only little discrepancies such as additional blooming at points in the seasons that spring might have been taken place and a slightly cooler than normal climate in times that would have been winter, the walled garden Hinata entered as she walked through another set of sliding doors was red and brown with the colors of the fallen leaves and barren branches of Autumn.

At the end of the wooden platform of the house she waited for Shino to catch up, simply sitting on her haunches and enjoying the sight that she could so rarely see.

Here in the garden, flowers would bloom and fall during the springtime while the rest of the nation only did so mildly; in summer the trees that could bear fruit would do so generously; autumn would blaze through with falling leaves and fiery hues. Only in winter would nothing else happen besides cooling climate and stronger winds.

Hinata stood as soon as she sensed his approach, turning around and taking the tray of tea from him so that he may guide them to the little kiosk in the garden's center where she knew she would be spending the rest of the afternoon – and perhaps even early evening – at.

"So," –he began, gesturing to the cushion on the polished wood and taking his own seat as soon as she saw her settle down. "You have shared how you feel regarding Hyuuga Hiashi-san's recent behavior, but what purpose would you have me serve, Hinata?"

The Hyuuga looked to her friend, her lavender eyes boring into his sunglasses before she began to describe to him her father's behavior over the last three days while Shino listened and had lunch served.

After she had finished talking, they had already managed to consume half of the food that was placed before them.

"I am thinking that 'What brought about this attitude?' is the predominant thought that is in that head of yours at the moment?" The Aburame asked her before taking his cup of tea to take a sip of the latter's contents. After Hinata answered him with a nod, he added: "I believe that I may have answers for you, although you have to understand that what I am presenting to you are merely theories." Bringing his right hand to his face, Shino did something that immediately made the Hyuuga tense up.

He removed his sunglasses.

"Your father's behavior began on the evening of our arrival, shortly after a meeting of the High Council to discuss the finalized terms between Amegakure and our village;" Both ninja had already moved on to dessert then, and Shino took the kettle to refill their cups as soon as he saw either become dangerously close to emptying. "Seeing as I had been at the meeting because my father was indisposed at the time." Hinata watched her friend lean back into the backrest of his cushion-seat, his relaxed sipping of tea reassuring her somewhat.

Her curiosity got the better of her, though; brows purplish-black furrowing in a mix of discontent and uncertainty, she voiced her concern: "May I ask what terms were discussed by the Council, then?"

At that point, Hinata was glad that Shino always changed out of his large jackets and into kimono that no longer hid his features from the world whenever he stayed any decent amount of time at his home as it allowed her to read the facial expressions that accompanied his words better.

An excellent example would be the tiny upward tug of his lips which told her that she would most likely not find any answers for that specific question from he.

With another sip of tea and a bite of cake, he gave her a reply: "I will have to apologize," Hinata found herself smirking at her friend's slightly sarcastic tone and the fact that her earlier guess had been correct. "But as you have yet to be present at any of the meetings, you are not considered a valid substitute for Hiashi-san as representative and cannot be given information that is only for those said representatives and their substitutes."

At that point, Hinata wasn't sure what reaction to her friend's words she gave, but she became certain that it was something along the lines of disappointment once she felt him reach across the table and place one of his hands on her shoulder.

When she raised her eyes to meet his, she nodded him to continue.

He obliged without delay: "The second addendum covered by the meeting was something that was a bit of a surprise to me." Shino took another drink of tea then, Hinata seeing the small smirk that played across his lips when he put down the cup. "And if the reaction of every other person present was any indication, they were surprised as well."

His hand reached into his sky-blue robes, feeling around for something while she tried to not to appear too curious as she looked at him and ate her own cake at the same time.

And when the envelope was brought out and passed to her, her purplish-black brows gave all the hidden curiosity away.

"That-" Shino began, gesturing to the pale, golden-brown that was written on with glossy black ink. "Is an invitation – _your _invitation– to the sixteenth birthday celebration of Prince Rikudo of Ame."

When she heard this, Hinata first found herself wondering of the relevance of such information, and perhaps even why it had surprised the members of the high council. For what could have been so important about a birthday celebration of someone from another country that would cause any uproar with the primary governing body of the village?

But when the realization made itself known to her seconds later, her furrowed brows shot up in surprise as she voiced her thoughts to her long-time friend who had become her confidant in the last two years: "That doesn't make any sense…" she turned her gaze from the plainness envelope to Shino's dark-colored eyes and added: "Why would Ame's prince be inviting _anyone_ from another country to his party? Doing so would be like my inviting those Suna ninja that went to the chuunin exams three years ago to have tea with my family."

Hinata could feel a few more words well up from inside her but was stopped from voicing any more of them when she heard her companion's heels hit the wooden elevation with an audible thud.

It was an obvious enough sign – to her at the very least – to stop talking and listen to what the Aburame had to say.

"It would seem that you feel the same way as every other member of the High Council regarding the invitations that were sent." –said he as he continued his initial movement and brought himself to a sitting position. Turning his back and walking towards the edge of the little structure in the center of the garden, he added: "But what motives could Ame have for inviting us to a social event, especially one as personal as one for their heads of government?"

This pattern had been a habit of Shino's for as long a time as Hinata could recall. Asking questions that he did not expect answered for he answered them himself just as soon as he posed them was his own way of making things easier for others to understand. It was something that she had come to respect when she began to interact with him on a more non-professional level.

But when he looked over his shoulder and cast his glance to her, the Hyuuga then knew that it wasn't going to be the usual line of self-questioning and answering.

_He is asking for my opinion._

She felt herself relax at the thought; involuntarily looking back to the some of the instances Shino had done the same years prior in an attempt to make her share her thoughts more often. It was the start of her slight changes in behavior when it was just the two of them.

Tilting her head to one side on instinct, she answered: "Forgetting my earlier comparison, maybe it's a show of trust from Ame to us, or perhaps even a ruse on their part to gather information about us?" Both cases were possibilities she had seen in play in some events past, having been brought by Shino to some social gatherings that held such intentions in mind.

Among most other clan heirs she knew, Shino had begun his training for the position far younger than anyone else. All things considered, neither she nor her sister, Hanabi, had yet to begin any form of training from Hiashi outside of combat, and thus her interactions with her Aburame teammate that doubled as lectures and previews on general politics and legal procedure within Konohagakure's High Council served to prepare her for whatever things she might have to do in the near future.

When the gust blew in and more dried leaves began to fall, Shino looked away from her and back to the view from the building.

Hinata had finished another cup of tea and the rest of her cake when she heard him give her his answer:

"Considering the information you have, and our past experiences in the field, I would say that you made rather plausible theories." Finally turning around to face her and walking back to his previous seat to settle down, he added: "Though I will admit that I have other ideas, but that is because of other factors that I shall not share with you yet"

As though intercepting the question that Hinata had been about to vocalize, he asked himself verbally: "Why?

"I hope you understand that – as I told you earlier – there are certain things I am not at liberty to share with you because of our difference in information clearance with the High Council." Once again reaching for something hidden in the folds of his kimono, Shino brought out a nondescript scroll that the female Hyuuga assumed was a Mission Parameters Scroll, something that should have not roused any of the foreboding curiosity that came clawing at her heels for attention.

But once the bureaucratic representation of their work was opened to reveal the signatures and personal seals – all color-coded a blood red – of Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen and First High Councilman Shimura Danzo were shown to her, she gasped audibly.

Hyuuga Hinata had been openly acknowledged as the heir as the head of the Hyuuga clan in her younger years and was still so on paper now, and so she was expected to be well-acquainted with the ninja standard operating procedures.

And she was well aware of the fact that two such signatures that were colored red signified the designation of a mission's priority as S-class.

Her friend, however, chose to verbalize what she had been thinking.

"Due to the urgency with which this mission must be completed, it has been classified by both the Hokage and the High Council as S-ranked, the projected difficulty though, has been decided as C-ranked and doable by genin of our experience." It was at this point in time that Shino looked from the mission scroll to meet her eyes, Hinata feeling a familiar chill run down her spine when she felt his gaze bore into her.

The same kind of chill she recalled feeling when he did the same thing several years ago.

"Will you go with me?"

And just as that night years ago, she gave him the same reply:

"Yes."

~TtT~

Politics, as Haruno Sakura had come to know, was not something she was well-versed in or wanted to bother with for as long as she could help it. It always was more up Sasuke's alleyway especially since his joining the village's High Council as the very first representative of the Uchiha Clan to take a seat since the founding of the village.

_No, _She thought as she finished consuming her lunch and went about her way to her family's home just south of the Konoha's market square. _It's certainly not among the first lines of work I would have in mind in the very near future._

But despite this thought, she could not help but be bothered by the rather political nature of what she was starting to involve herself in.

The mere fact that she was mentally accusing a noble from another country of being her former teammate – and subsequently a missing-nin of Konohagakure – was already something that would produce rather complex a fallout, the finer details of which was something that she had to study more deeply in order to comprehend.

_And perhaps I can ask Sasuke for advice on this,_ Sakura grinned at the idea when it came to her, already thinking up how to word her questions to her long-time friend as she took out her key and opened the wooden door._ -Considering he already is a politician by profession._

During the three days that followed her team's return from the successful mission in the Land of Wind and the resulting positive effect the said success had on the relations between Konoha and Suna had been spent on debriefings, filling up of personal reports regarding the aforementioned mission, and eating and resting when the first two were not being done.

Sakura almost felt the exhaustion setting in again after she recalled the recounting of her fight with Akasuna no Sasori in fairly vivid detail on paper.

-Which was a task that had been done with ink and brush and fifteen pieces of paper.

The genin audibly sighed at the recollection upon making that last left turn away from the main southern road that would ultimately lead to her house.

The Haruno family was one that was not composed of shinobi, not in the present should Sakura have been discounted nor in the distant past when military lines of work had run rampant across the lands.

In a way, that was perhaps the main reason she had begun to be left behind by her other batch mates from the academy; unlike the other seven genin, only she and Naruto had come from families that had no ninja background and no family training. Her former teammate could have been excused of this, considering the fact that he had been an orphan and – if there had been any relation between himself and a woman she had read about named Uzumaki Mito – perhaps there was more to his pedigree than she might have first assumed.

But with a family like Sakura's: a merchant father that did trade of dry goods between Konoha and the other cities within the country and a mother that functioned in a similar but on a smaller scale, the kunoichi was on her own.

As she stopped before her house though, a two-story residence that had been fashioned in the continent's traditional style, she felt the need to acknowledge that such might have no longer been the case.

Dropping those thoughts and knowing that she should have been the only person in the building as her father should have still been at one of the family storehouses in some, minor, random Land of Fire city a few hours away from the village doing an inspection and her mother was supervising the cloth delivery to their shop within Konoha's walls, Sakura locked the door behind her and made her way up the stairs to revel in the silence of her room while she tried to steer her thoughts to avenues that she would need to be crossing soon.

To be most specific, avenues that would help her find the answers to all the questions that have been popping up in front of her.

Upon entering her room, undressing, and lying down on her bed, the fifteen-year-old kunoichi began to account what suspicions she already had and what information she could use to support it:

First and foremost, an inkling that had been troubling her since she first heard of it from the Suna ninja was the existence of the jinchuuriki.

Rather, the fact that her now-missing teammate may have been the holder of the Nine-tailed Fox.

_Mom's warnings from whenever I looked at him in the earlier days at the academy._ Based on what Matsuri had mentioned to her about the treatment Gaara received as a child for being the container of the Shukaku, her memories of Naruto from when she had just been a fresh academy cadet could serve as evidence, but there was little that she could recall from the time period, considering her focus in the first few years was doing well in class and on Sasuke in the latter part of her schooling.

_What else?_

It was a rather frustrating question, actually, trying to find anything more about Naruto was like finding a needle in a haystack; information about him was simply too difficult to acquire. On the first day of their return, Konoha standard operating procedure dictated that they report to the hospital for medical inspection immediately following their debriefing session with the Hokage, so she tried to use her status as Tsunade's student to inspect the medical files of Uzumaki Naruto on her way out and she found herself perplexed with what she was met with.

The nurse she asked to present the file to her was replaced with an ANBU agent that told her that she did not possess the required clearance gain access to the file.

Sakura wouldn't even be allowed to see his medical history.

_If Naruto wasn't a jinchuuriki, then there is certainly something else about him that I might have to look deeper into; because whatever it is, there's something about him that people don't want the public to know._

But the mere contemplation of this first subject already had that little sliver of curiosity building up inside her and that little bit of doubt to start biting at her from the darker recesses of her mind where she could imagine a pair of scarlet, slitted eyes looking at her from the blackness, daring her to delve deeper.

_But that might end up taking too much of my time,_ She found it odd that she was mentally voicing her argument to another part of her subconscious. _There are still the others I need to deal with; the information about Ame, what Sasori-san mentioned and that box he left…_

_What if they're all connected?_

In a voice that carried to her a sense of bother foreboding and excitement, she heard the reply from her the back of her mind:

_You shall never know until you try, Haruno Sakura; seek the connections yourself and you might find the answers._

And just as the voice faded and the odd image of a red moon flashed before her eyes, she heard a knock coming from the front door. It was faint due to her distance but it was there.

~TtT~

The return trip went a much more relaxed pace than the first trip did, that much Anko could be certain of.

After three additional days in the Land of Wind that had been spent watching prince Rikudo observing the newly-promoted genin go about their first few D-ranked missions, attending meetings of Suna's High Council – which was the only event that she was not allowed to attend – and going around the desert village looking for good things to take home while the noble spent time with his wife, he had finally decided to pack up and head back for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Although that last day that had been spent paying a visit to the country's leader at the nation's feudal capital was one thing that she did not expect, considering the fact that there was usually very little reason in a ninja from any given nation actively trying to meet with the feudal lord of another country.

At least if there was no mission involved, of course.

Though much to Anko's surprise which had mainly been based on what she could recall of the tiny modicum of information she had learned regarding the daimyos she had studied about during her younger years, the leader of Wind was actually a young woman as opposed to the usual stereotype she expected for the role that set her up for the opposite: old men.

Yet as Rikudo and daimyo Konno Mitsune talked over tea with Anko at the table, the lone kunoichi couldn't help but be a bit uneasy at the strangely conspirational grin that the female noble sent her way whenever the latter turned from the prince to ask Anko a few questions regarding shinobi life.

It was after she and Rikudo left the palace did the special jounin decided to ask him about the older woman's actions.

They were already crossing the desert when she asked him the question, and he raised the wide brim of his hat to look her in the eye before giving her his reply:

"Konno Mitsune is possibly the single most mischievous feudal lord in the entire continent;" He told her as they walked through the oddly windless dunes. "She had come to power by appointment of shogun Urashima Keitaro shortly after the last chuunin exams after which the previous leader of Wind passed on."

To this answer, Anko immediately felt one of her brows shoot up and a smirk come to her lips: "That's some rather interesting information there, Prince-sama." She bent her back so that she could look at the nobles face; he having hidden his countenance behind his hat again after answering her question. "But I'm going to have to call at your attempt to dodge my question."

If Rikudo was bothered at all by her follow-up despite his attempted evasion, he made it a point not to display it, simply continuing at the same steady pace as he gave his immediate counter:

"I would not particularly mind telling you what message she had been conveying to me, provided I can be ascertained that you will still be capable of working along side me until we finish this trek back to your home country." Rikudo said this with a smirk that seemed to match the one the Lady of the Land of Wind sent her previous if not for the strange graveness that the faint crease between his brows presented to display faint warning of where she was treading. "But I will have to be of the conviction that it may indeed become a problem."

When his purple eyes met her brown ones as he said the second part of his answer though, it became apparent to her that he had been kidding.

"Still," he eventually said a few minutes later. "I would rather not answer you regardless of the reason."

And with his attempted evasion replaced with a full-out block, she could say nothing else for fear of offending him any more than she already might have.

The following three days of travel had then gone uneventfully, being recalled only with silent walks, nature's sights and sounds, and mild discussion regarding – what Anko would come to think of with irritation – the weather and the appearance of the terrain they passed.

She sighed as she awoke on that third day, being met with the tall trees of the Land of Fire and the blades of sunlight that shone through the canopy above. Looking around, Anko observed one crucial fact:

Prince Rikudo was not at camp.

_What?_

This realization took all drowsiness from her immediately, the kunoichi quickly getting up now fully alert before she cast a sweeping glance around camp to seek any trail that she could follow. Deciding to use a technique that most ninja of her rank knew to apply, the special jounin closed her eyes and tried to open her senses.

Trying to get the general position of another person using chakra sense was not a particularly easy task for the standard shinobi that had no specialization on chakra sensing, a type of shinobi that Mitarashi Anko was most certain she was not.

_There!_ She felt that little puddle of force that seemed to radiate from a little northeast of where she had been lying earlier, a force that pushed back against her own yet seemed to feel cold and restrained; the type of feel that she recognized the prince gave her whenever they spoke together even during their more amiable talks.

But as soon as she was about to withdraw her senses from the area, the kunoichi felt another force present, pushing against her own in an adamant defiance. She did not particularly like the three things she realized just then:

First and foremost: there was someone else there besides the prince and she, second: that person was with the Rikudo at that very moment who – three: was the very person Anko had been assigned to protect until the pair were once more behind Konoha walls.

Worst yet, the special jounin could not recognize the entity that was now in the company of the Ame royal.

After a short debate on whether to approach openly or to creep closer, the kunoichi opted for the latter in anticipation of the possibility that Rikudo had in fact been captured and needed to be assisted in escape. She made it a point to suppress the chakra that was spreading out, closing off her energy sensing abilities but also preventing any opponents from noticing her approach through non-physical means. Choosing to jump from tree to tree – not quite on the branches but rather just above the ground – to avoid making noise that the breaking of dried leaves would have caused, Mitarashi entered the area where she felt the Rikudo's presence minutes earlier.

At this point she slowed her advance, choosing to focus her attentions on her surroundings rather than moving at a fast pace.

It was then, when Anko was certain she could already smell the scent that she had come to recognize as prince Rikudo of Ame and was looking to find sight of him, did she hear the voice of the other person she sensed previously:

"You know," The voice was female, that much the kunoichi could ascertain. "When I got off the ship at Kiri, I had expected you to already have been at home, imagine my surprise to find you traveling from Suna _back to Konoha_ of all places."

The speaker was standing behind a tree, possibly leaning against it and preventing Anko from getting any type look at the former.

The prince, meanwhile, could be seen despite being in the same position; in fact leaning against the exact same tree his companion.

"All things considered, my dear," –Said the Rikudo without looking to his companion, his choice of title for the hidden woman telling Anko that he was either close to the latter or he was teasing her. "You should have already been aware that I might be taking care of work outside home, as is expected considering what shogun Urashima has planned at the start of next year." He leaned toward who he was speaking to, thus hiding his face from Anko's line of sight as he spoke his next words: "Although, I will have to ask: For what purpose have you hunted me down instead of waiting for my return like you usually would have done?"

If the Konoha-nin's eyebrows had not been up, they were now.

_Awaiting his return?_ It took very little time for her to make the necessary assumption: _Is she one of his wives then, even a mistress perhaps?_

But there was very little reason to assume the latter, considering the fact that he could already marry multiple times thus rendering the need to keep the woman at arm's length useless.

_Right?_

"I was growing impatient." The stranger's matter-of-fact reply pulled Anko away from any further contemplation and back to the occurrence at hand. "I simply refuse to wait for your return." Then she laughed before adding: "Simply staying at home waiting for you to come back from whatever missions Honored Father-in-law gave you would make my coming over a week early completely useless."

Rikudo returned his companions laugh with his own then saying: "That's what you get for dropping by unannounced." The kunoichi who was hanging upside down from a tree branch imagined a smirk play across the royal's lips as he said this. "But unlike our little foray one week ago, this time you were not received with open arms?"

If the prince had been intending to say anything else, the sudden jerk that told Anko he was given a slight shove stopped him from saying anything else.

"Since when have the family rejected me?" Mitarashi heard from behind the tree. "No, I'm not here because I couldn't stay at the palace while you were away; in fact, all my things are already in our room." What little doubt there was about her role in the royal's life were removed at this point, as Anko could not think of a reason for the stranger to be staying with the prince – especially with interactions with his family – without being the teenage male's wife or betrothed. "I am here on request from Honored Father."

After Rikudo was standing straight once more, Anko saw him bend his right arm as though receiving something from the consort. His head bent down to read what the kunoichi saw as a piece of paper.

"This is a mission request." Hearing this, Anko's curiosity was further raised and she decided to try to get a better look at the pair; if she was lucky, she'd be able to get a look at how Ame made their mission parameters as she wasn't naïve enough to try to get a look at what the document said at that point in time. She heard Rikudo chuckle as she was making her firs few reaches toward adjacent trees. "Father asked you to bring me a mission request?" Mitarashi could already see the edges of what she believed was red silk from behind the prince, silk that she was certain was coming from the other woman. "Normally this would be delivered to me by one of the Royal Foxes, usually Ningendo. There is little need for you to bring _this-_" He raised the document to eye level though rather deigning to look at his wife. "…-To me." Anko heard another laugh as she shifted her weight from one branch to another, the kind that made her imagine his smirk widening. "Unless, of course, you suspect me of cheating, no?"

The amount of sarcasm dripping of that last statement was almost laughable.

Instead of being insulted by the presentation of such a possibility as Anko might have expected from most women, the prince's wife merely giggled at his jest.

"Logically speaking," She began; Anko could now see the edge of her face that was being blocked by red hair. "It is impossible for you to commit infidelity towards me, oh honored husband, most especially considering the fact that you possess the right of polygamy."

At her reply, Rikudo spread his arms wide, tilting his head to one side and asking: "Does that mean that my prime consort gives me her blessing to marry as many times as is required of me?"

Red sleeves wound themselves around the prince's neck before the woman's answer came:

"As is said by the way of House Rikudo: Duty, above all else." At this time, Anko could already ascertain the consort's height, which was just at half the prince's head, about level with the tip of his nose; red, angular eyes, thin lips, and a small nose. The kunoichi placed the consort's age at no higher than seventeen or eighteen years old.

"That is reassuring." –Said the prince, bringing his arms back down and once again looking at the contents of the mission request. "Father wants me to journey to the capitol of the Land of Fire," he returned his gaze to his wife. "And it seems that you wish to accompany me?" Rikudo waited for no response as he immediately added: "No, I will have to say that I insist that you come with me, in fact; this mission will be that much easier to complete if I have a good alibi to present once the deed is done."

The special jounin's brows furrowed at these snippets of information, several questions forming and standing out as she tried to make sense of what the male Rikudo would be up to next:

_The national capitol? What business would someone from the Land of Rain have at the capitol of Fire?_

She was prevented, however, from thinking any further on this as she heard her name being called out:

"I would like to speak with you, Mitarashi Anko; do please come join us." It was the male Rikudo calling her down, and faced with little option aside facing the shame of being discovered eavesdropping, Anko did as requested.

"Good morning Prince-sama, and to you as well, hime-sama." She said giving each of the two a nod, fighting down the mortified flush and hoping that neither Rikudo would notice the odd formality in her greeting.

While the prince returned her nod, his wife eyed her with one red eyebrow raised, red irises going up and down, taking in every detail of Anko they could grasp.

The male spoke first, saying: "I trust you slept well, Mitarashi-san?" the sugary tone of his voice glint in his purple eyes told her that he had noticed her forced formality, but he would grace her and not address it. Gesturing to the woman beside him, he added: "I would like to introduce you to Rikudo Shoujouhi," the red-haired woman nodded toward the kunoichi, the curls at the ends of her hair bouncing with the movement. "She is my first wife and prime consort."

"Greetings as well, Mitarashi Anko," Shoujouhi said. "My husband has said a good deal about you." Anko sensed mischief, if not a little appraisal in the way she said the rest of the sentence; Shoujouhi's tone calming the kunoichi down a great deal.

"Now," interrupted Rikudo, Anko noticing the consort's mouth – that had opened to add to what the last had been saying – close to allow the prince to speak: "I certainly hope that you heard what Shou and I had been discussing earlier, as it would appear that there is some urgent business I must attend to in the capitol of Fire." Folding the piece of paper that Mitarashi recognized as the mission request, Rikudo placed it inside his sleeve before adding: "We will be dropping you off at Konoha then we shall be heading for the capitol to do a little…" He paused then, turning to his wife before sending a smirk that Shoujouhi returned.

"…-_Sightseeing._" –Was what the word she chose, then turning to look at Rikudo who nodded to both females.

"If you don't mind, I'll go ahead take care what is left of camp." Turning about and heading back to where he and Anko spent the night, he added with a waving hand: "I'll let Shou finish whatever it was she wanted to talk to you about."

Anko scarcely had the time to look back to the lady Rikudo when the latter spoke:

"You seem to be an interesting one, Mitarashi-san." The noble was grinning down at her, whatever it was shining in the former's eyes turned to outright amusement as she added: "You may call me by my first name." Shoujouhi brought her arms up and placed each inside its opposite sleeve and raised a scarlet brow. "Tell me, though: how has spending the week with my husband been for you?"

As though in response to the one eyebrow of lady Rikudo, both of Anko's shot up upon hearing the question.

For there was no telling what meaning she may have had behind asking such a strange question; the kunoichi could name a good few, ranging from the innocent inquiry on the spouse's behavior to finding a potential bother to the marriage and nipping such things in the bud.

But the conditions were very different from what Anko had observed, and she was at a loss as to what answer to give in order to have a favorable reaction.

Left with no feasible answer with the little time she had to give a response and seem honest, she opted to say what she truly thought of the teenager, trying to keep her tone a good deal more formal than she would when she talked with the prince:

"In terms of interactions, Shoujouhi-hime, the best way for me to describe the week would be a complete and total lack of boredom."

It was difficult to say what made her be so rigid with the younger girl in front of her, but Anko decided to blame it on that odd sparkle in the consort's eye that told the kunoichi that it would always be best to stay on the noble's good side.

"I see." –Was all the princess said with that same conspirational grin she recognized from the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind several days ago and whatever it meant, Anko was beginning to fear that she might not actually want to know.

~TtT~

"_And with all the pieces placed in their starting positions, let the games begin."_

-Lord Legion the Numerous

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**Notes / References:**

_**Rikudo**_ – is the name used to refer to anyone bearing that family name in any given scene; in the even that the first names of any / all Rikudo in the room have been introduced or they all possess titles that can be used to identify them as characters of their own, the word Rikudo should be considered to refer to prince Rikudo of Ame

_**Clues**_ – it should be noted by the reader that beginning with the second arc (and perhaps even some parts of the first arc) that the possibility of chain clues that require referencing to earlier chapters will be brought up.

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**Post-Chapter Questions / Discussion:**

Looking at the way ninja are trained in the Naruto series, we are shown that Konoha-nin are actually given the bare-minimum needed for life as a shinobi where their genin teachers are expected to tackle the rest once the ninja aspirants get to that level.

_What does the opening account tell you of the way Ame ninja are trained from their time at the academy?_

The second scene covers the immediate reaction made by some of Konoha's populous to the invitations sent by House Rikudo, where I had decided to focus on this reaction through Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata.

_During the discussion regarding Ame's possible reasons for inviting people from Fire to celebrate the birthday of the prince, what thought came to mind upon hearing Hinata's opinions? Did her answers make sense? Did you come up with your own reasons behind Ame's actions?_

One of the more important things I wanted to portray in the first scene between Hinata and Shino was the changes in their character over the last three years; mainly after having been affected by the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto and other following events that have yet to be elaborated.

_Does this change seem possible provided certain conditions are met, or do you feel that such change will never occur?_

The third scene centered on Haruno Sakura and her attempts at making sense of all the information she had found during the first arc and the surfacing of new suspicions.

_Do you agree with her predicting possible political fallout of any further investigations she might make? Why so?_

_Was her thought process throughout the scene smooth and easy to understand?_

_Was she in-character based on Shippuuden standards while taking into account this story's AU aspect?_

She encountered a voice coming from the back of her mind, one that was both hers and wasn't…

_What do you think this voice could be?_

In the third scene, and even a little bit of the first scene, I have tried to present how people tend to act differently in the presence of certain other persons. (Shino and Hinata in the first scene and Anko and Shoujouhi in the third scene)

_Do you agree that this is a possibility in the case of these characters? Do the portrayals still seem believable?_

Anko had awoken to a conversation between Rikudo and his prime consort, Shoujouhi ('Shou' for convenience's), while the latter pair were discussing several things.

_When the prince and Shou talked about the mission to the capitol of the Land of Fire, what did you suppose the mission was about?_

_What are your thoughts on the interactions of Rikudo and Shou, Anko and Shou and the three people?

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_

I hope you all enjoyed this update, and _do_ please tell me what you think.

_Sincerely,_

_**Toph the Trickster**_


	30. Opening Moves: One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

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Note: No responses or questions for this chapter; I am _far_ to lazy and tired after finishing this monster to bother; I hope you enjoy, and just share what you think in reviews.

Sincerely,

_**Toph the Trickster

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**_

_**Arc Two, Chapter Six:**_

_**Chapter Thirty:**_

**Opening Moves: One:**

**The Village Hidden in the Leaves**

"_I have explained in previous lectures the concept of the three rules:_

"_The first: Know thyself, for this is half of victory;_

"_The second: Know thy foe, for this is half of victory;_

"_Know both these and victory is not in danger._

"_The third: Know all heaven and know all earth, for victory is found within this;_

"_Know all three and victory is complete._

"_The previous two are the easiest to understand, but allow me to pose to you this question:_

"_What is heaven and what is earth?"_

_-_Lectures of Prince Rikudo

~TtT~

Discretion was quite possibly the best way to describe Konoha's practices with regard to handling information of any clearance level. It was important for everyone in the village to understand that there were certain things that could be discussed openly and certain things that were to be as close to forgotten as possible.

But there was a line somewhere there, Sarutobi Hiruzen was sure, a line that was drawn between secrets made to protect everyone from danger and secrets that were all-consuming and self-destructive.

In the occurrence of such, control was paramount to successful containment of such information. And yet there existed the challenge for it was difficult to control anything that one could not identify.

Which secrets should be culled to what degree? What will their revelation cost the nation? How will it affect the current generation? Will it break anyone's will? Is someone's life and honor hanging on this remaining secret or coming out in the open?

This was the general train of though he followed as he studied the little wooden box that seemed to have caused him such internal torment:

The rolled-up blue scroll had been labeled as a journal but couldn't have been opened by regular means because of a blood seal placed on it; a map of the continent complete with each of the nations, their respective capitols, trade cities, and shinobi villages – villages that had locations that were not supposed to be disclosed to internationals. That was another standard practice regarding information. Despite the village's need for trade, the exact locations were usually kept secret with the exception of merchants and travelers that had been screened and approved by the office of the leading Kage.

It disturbed Hiruzen to think that one man was privy to such secrets and the potential damage that could be done because of such knowledge.

What chilled the Hokage even more though, were the nations that had not been included in the map:

The Land of Rain was blank, and so were the Lands of Rice Paddies, Whirlpool, Snow, and several other fiefs that were too minor recall; each area instead – with the exception of Rice – being painted pure black.

"Ironic, isn't it?" the kage looked up from the map to meet the single eye of his companion. Shimura Danzo continued: "That the five shinobi nations are supposed to have the most powerful shinobi within their ranks, the best talents in their genetic pool, and the best mines to over think." The councilor leaned forward in his chair, allowing his cane to support him. "Shouldn't this also mean that we should possess the greatest security among the hidden villages?"

Hiruzen didn't even need his colleague to finish that train of thought, and so decided to finish it himself: "If so," the kage began as he took out his pipe and placed some tobacco inside. "How is it that it is primarily the five nations that are on the map, and mostly the minor villages that are blank?" He waved his hand over the spread-out piece of paper. "What does this tell us?"

His pipe now lit, the Hokage placed it in his mouth and took several puffs as he turned his eyes to his crippled companion, awaiting the councilor's response.

"There are too many possibilities," If Danzo had been bothered by the Hokage's line of questioning, the former did not show it and neither did he try to make himself appear more knowledgeable than he ought to have been. "This map could merely been made to contain locations in the shinobi nations. Considering Akatsuki's apparent interest in the jinchuuriki, that could be a plausible theory." The first high councilor leaned his cane against the bale and pointed his hands at the Land of Teal Leaves, and saying: "But that doesn't explain why there are still some minor areas that are neither painted black nor left blank."

Hiruzen's rival then scowled before he said his next words: "This theory also doesn't explain what the countries that are painted black mean." His finger hovered over the Lands of Whirlpool, Snow, and Rain before sliding over the smaller fiefs that had also been painted over.

It was the Hokage who then voiced a question: "Could there be a connection?"

Danzo's reply came immediately: "Without a doubt." The elder's eyes kept on the map, traveling through the markings as though moving through the lands themselves; he added: "But this map has no legend," Hiruzen looked down and observed the blank, yellowed edges that were unlabeled save for the marking of the cardinal directions on the upper right corner. "The only people intended to read this map were those that knew exactly what all the designations mean," the eyes of both men met before Danzo stated his conclusion:

"And only they can provide us an answer."

The Hokage did not give a verbal reply, instead twirling his chair so that he could look through the window that held a view of the Kage's Monument as he mulled over his advisor's thoughts:

First and foremost: Hiruzen could ascertain that their security was lacking in respect to keeping the location of the village a secret, this could possibly have been caused by Itachi's joining Akatsuki, so if that had indeed been the case, it could not be helped. But worse yet, it wasn't just Konoha that had been unfortunate enough to have their locations revealed to people of ill-intent but the other four of the five great countries as well. The amount of detail that could be seen in the map's drawing brought even more unrest to the Hokage's sense of security for even if their shinobi might come to know of the other cities and villages in the nation, the odds of knowing the location of all of them were rather slim.

And with the validity of his position as Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen could affirm that every city, village, and town in the country were written and labeled on the map in front of him.

Second: It was strange that domains that were unlabeled were painted black, not because that it would have signified that they were unexplored, but because it made things too final; black lines were used to mark maps.

And you could not write over black paper and still see what you have drawn.

Could it have been as cover up, then? That was another possibility considering how Akasuna no Sasori seemed too willing to surrender this potential treasure trove of information.

If so then why was the Land of Rice Paddies left blank yet unpainted black? What connected the areas that _were_ shaded in?

Third: Taking all these things into account, and looking at the events surrounding the objects on his table, Hiruzen had to wonder…

What did Amegakure have to do with all of this?

After all, it was one of the shaded locations, and Sakura's report stated that the missing-nin had once visited the Rain Village in order to obtain parts of his puppets.

Could Ame have been involved with Akatsuki? This question was unfortunately disproved by the fact that Ame had voluntarily participated in a mission that countered Akatsuki's goals.

Was the mission entirely and act, then?

Hiruzen sighed at the last question his subconscious threw at him, accepting that it was also another possibility, but one that would require painfully taken measures to confirm along with a great deal of time.

"You've been quiet for a while, Hokage-dono." It was Danzo, calling from the chair next to the office's sole desk, the councilor leaning against the back rest. "Have you come to a conclusion?"

With another sigh, the kage replied: "Inconclusive.

"It is possible that the black areas were done to keep something hidden. It's an easy thought to latch unto as there is no legend that says what the shading means." Hiruzen stood up, walked around the desk, then began pacing about the office, continuing: "But is that a trick as well? Your suggestion of it being meant only for eyes of those that worked with Akatsuki is true as well, and what I am thinking is in fact the trap that was set inside this map's design." Taking a deep breath and then reaching up to remove the pipe from his mouth, Hiruzen blew out a smoke ring. "The questions begin to branch out after those two.

"In the case of your theory, I am made to ask:

"Was the map intended for Akatsuki or the personal use of Akasuna no Sasori and those that work under him?

"What connections exist among the blackened areas?

"Why is the Land of Rice exempted?

"My theory poses these questions:

"What are the blackened areas hiding?

"Why are they hiding them, and why is Ame among the shaded ones?

"Is Amegakure involved with Akatsuki?"

Inhaling the fumes of his pipe and breathing out again, Hiruzen prepared to finish his explanation: "We have too little information to go on, and so we are unable to come to a standing conclusion." Nodding to himself, the kage finally returned to his seat before adding: "End of Demonstration."

There was silence at first, Danzo not giving him an immediate reply and Hiruzen unwilling to add anything more for unwillingness to talking any more on the topic of a map that would only coerce both men into unending theory-crafting that could very well be wrong.

What the Hokage had found unexpected however, was the first councilor's attack on another subject that had gone overlooked over the course of the examination of the box's contents:

"What about the kunai, then?" Shimura gestured to the sole weapon tha that had been recovered from the wooden container. "Are you going to present it to Haruno as well?"

It was a loaded question if Sarutobi Hiruzen had ever heard one before, and being in his position had exposed him to those in spades.

Danzo was striking at one of the few things they had in common: the unwillingness to share information that – in their opinion – did no need to be disclosed.

Hiruzen decided to bite, knowing that since both he and the councilor shared the same opinion on the matter, the cripple of the two would give him sound advice: "What do you suggest?"

Both men eyed the kunai that lay atop the map's upper-left edge, noting the thin blade and the two other points that jutted out its sides diagonally, and the engraving on the handle.

Still not taking his eyes off the blade, Danzo shared his thoughts: "I can safely conclude that the information we have before us now – be it stated or implied in forms outside of words – is with us at another's consent, and whoever we are dealing with, wants Haruno Sakura to have this information." The Hokage knew that this was just the introduction to whatever Danzo really wanted to say; seeing as both understood the just-said facts perfectly. "I recommend that we play the field first, if only to get a better idea of what our opponent might be up to, if he is willing to pull someone from another nation into this game.

"Whether we want to or not, Haruno Sakura is at the center of this right now, and I think that we can only get any answers if we let her take free reign."

After giving the councilor a nod, Hiruzen countered: "And how do we know this isn't a trap laid to lead us astray?"

At this, Shimura stared at him; the action unnerving Hiruzen though the latter made sure not so show it. It seemed that Danzo was surprised at the Hokage's argument, and the latter of the two did not like to entertain such a thought.

When the bandaged former-shinobi gave his reply though, it came as an anecdote:

~_"When unsure of your foes defenses, strike at everything you see, and then understand all that he is._

_~"Once you find what is strong and what is weak, strike again and break him."_ ~

It was a message from the old Shinobi code, but Hiruzen understood as Danzo knew that the former would.

"Very well," –Said the Hokage in response. "Let us strike at what we see, and hopefully, we shall draw blood."

The Secretary announced the arrival of Haruno Sakura seconds later.

~TtT~

After having finished lunch at the central garden, Hinata and Shino continued their conversations with regular deliveries of tea and pastries made by the helpers of the household. The Aburame clan heir had informed her that they would be leaving for the national capitol in three to four days while he tried to acquire their third companion.

Upon her inquiry of why Kiba was not chosen for the job, Shino replied: "There is very little, if at all tracking involved in this mission and his skills would be of little use." This was said at roughly half-past three in the afternoon while the kettle was being refilled. "All things considered, this is assignment is more political formality than actual ninja mission which is why I had been chosen for the job."

The Hyuuga swallowed what remains of cake she had been chewing on so that she could ask a question, but her companion interrupted her, saying:

"I am inviting you to accompany me so that you can observe the capitol – something I am certain you have yet been able to do – as well as wait out Hiashi-san's current indisposition." He then sipped his tea before refilling the cup and added: "Besides, I doubt Kiba would possess the amount of patience needed for such a non-battle-oriented mission."

Hinata accepted the first two and could not deny the third reason, and thus, her curiosity was appeased.

She had not bothered to ask who he had selected for their third statement, deciding to make guesses of her own while taking into account the nature of the assignment and the type of ninja they might need.

Once the few immediate details of the mission were ironed out, the pair moved into Shino's house wing to continue their talks on the outer porch while the garden kiosk was prepared for Shino's mother who would be receiving guests for dinner.

They had settled down ten minutes later, the newest batch of tea and pastries already prepared for them when the pair had laid their legs atop the cushions as their conversation moved along, beginning with what differences the nation's capitol would have to Konoha and somehow coming to the topic of the different insects Shino had been observing as of late.

Hinata was surprised at how she managed to maintain interest, despite the fact that they discussed such the last subject to rarely, often preferring to keep the talks on things they both were familiar with.

She broke into a small grin – one that Shino could not see as he had been speaking with a servant that entered – when the thought that he had become more willing to share such things with her; things that her friend had labeled as mundane and unnecessary to discuss with others.

"It would appear-" The Hyuuga was brought back to reality by her teammate's calling her; the servant that interrupted their previous conversation was already leaving when Shino spoke: "-that mother has learned of your presence in the grounds this evening." Hearing the Aburame's choice of words was enough to cause Hinata's eyes to quickly swivel towards the clock located above the sliding door into the house and observed that is was ten minutes past the hour of seven that evening.

She had only intended to stay till just before five in the afternoon, and that meant that she had lost track of time in her conversations with her long-time friend. Dinner would have been almost ready had she been in her home that time.

Shino, in the event that he noticed her fairly violent reaction, chose not to react to it and continued with his worded tirade without waiting: "While my mother had expressed the presence of guests tonight, she has decided to invite you and I to the gathering as well." He lowered his gaze this time, meeting her lavender eyes with his own brown ones from over his glasses before adding: "Shall you do me the honor of having dinner with my family, Hyuuga Hinata?"

While the female of the pair had gone to the restroom to prepare for a meeting with the male's mother, Shino had deigned to see to the cleaning up of the space they had occupied. Hinata felt a rush of unexpected thoughts run through her mind; ones that she decided were expected to a certain degree considering the fact that during the three years she had begun visiting the Aburame head's residence, she had only ever encountered either of Shino's parents five times and all of those encounters in passing.

This wouldn't be the first time she had been invited to stay with him for dinner…

But this would most definitely be the first time she had been invited to stay with him for dinner in the company of one of his closer relatives.

_What would she think of me?_

-was quite possibly the most prominent question that popped into her mind, but she did her absolute best to squash the thought along with its allies before it had the chance to bother her any further.

Despite this, Hinata wondered if she should perhaps extend a similar invitation to Shino within the three to four days there were prior to their departure for the mission; if only so that he may experience the same thing as she.

~TtT~

The two members of team eight had left at a little past nine in the evening, having been drawn into the discussions of the adults as the elder's discussed details of the new deal such as preferred modes of delivery and dates that the aforementioned deliveries were to be made.

Shino's mother had in fact invited everyone present to enter the main house because of the dropping temperature brought about by the time of night when Shino said that he would take Hinata home as Hiashi was no doubt beginning to worry for her.

"Very well," the Aburame matriarch said with a nod as she stood up and extended to Hinata a hand. "It was a pleasure to have you with us tonight, Hinata-chan, and perhaps you might be able to dine with us again but at a time where you presence can be most appreciated." The Hyuuga took the offered hand and shook it, after which the mother turned to her son, adding: "Make sure to bring you keys, Shino, and take as long as you need."

The pair was on the street no more than ten minutes later and at the Hyuuga's doorstep after no more than twenty.

When she and Shino arrived at the Hyuuga head's residence, Hinata had expected to be greeted with the usual when she was out for the evening: the night guards and whoever servants assigned to tending to her for the night. After all the talking she had been doing that day, beginning with the discussions with Shino to the dinner conversations with his mother, the Hyuuga found herself fairly exhausted and was looking forward for a nice soak in her bath.

Any thought of that, however, were crushed once the pair of genin made it through the gate and found High Councilman Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga Clan, waiting for them at front porch.

And just like that morning, the politician stared at his daughter with narrowed eyes.

"O-otou-sama!" It wasn't the first time Hinata had returned home at such hours as there were certain missions that ended late into the day if the location of work was not more than a day's journey from Konoha, but in all the missions and celebrations she had gone to that ended after nine in the evening, it was rare for her to encounter her father outside the house for he usually deigned to wait for her to make her presence known from inside his study.

This would also be the first time she had been taken home by her Aburame teammate, and she had no idea as to what her father might be thinking with regard to what the last was seeing at that moment.

If Shino had been bothered by such an event though, the male clan heir did not show such; quickly nodding towards Hiashi and saying: "I bid you good evening, Hiashi-san."

Immediately, Hiashi's narrowed eyes relaxed as the councilman returned the nod and apparently unbothered by the choice of honorific, replied: "A good evening to you as well, Vice Councilor Aburame." Returning his attention to his daughter, Hiashi added: "Hinata, since you were coming home with the vice councilor in tow, I am to assume that you were with him most of today?"

Whether this question was being posed to ascertain her safety or point out a fault Hinata was unsure.

She answered him, regardless: "Yes, otou-sama," the female heir nodded. "Lady Aburame asked that I stay for dinner and I accepted." Hinata knew her father well enough to understand that he also wanted an explanation for her late return if she had only spent lunch and the rest of the afternoon there. "I apologize for not having given earlier notification, but it was an unexpected development."

To this Hiashi sent his daughter a dismissing wave that told her she did not need to elaborate further.

"Understandable, Hinata, conceding to Lady Aburame's request was the better path to take." To Shino, he said: "Shino-kun, I was just about to call on you tonight as I had some things to discuss with you regarding yesterday's meeting and certain other things." The clan head then opened the sliding door and gestured that the pair enter. As the genin did so, he added: "It is most convenient that you decided to escort my daughter home."

As Hinata removed her sandals and placed them inside her designated shelf, she heard her teammate reply: "My father should be disposed for council duties by tomorrow morning, Hiashi-san." The younger of the two listening Hyuuga could easily understand what the Aburame had been trying to say: 'My father will be disposed for work tomorrow, so if you truly require the help of the Aburame, it would be better for you to speak with the clan's high councilman.'

Closing the door behind him and, too, removing his sandals so that he may tread over the wooden floors, the clan head countered with: "My concerns may have something to do with your clan, Shino-kun, but it is something that you can handle better than anyone else."

As this conversation played out, Hinata had decided to only pay half as much attention as she usually would, understanding that she wouldn't get a full grasp of what the two council members were talking about. She stretched and decided to make for the nearest antechamber where she assumed the two males would continue their discussion.

That had been the case until she heard her father state that he wished to speak with Shino specifically.

But rather than stopping to listen and risk making herself obvious, she discreetly activated her Byakugan and searched for the nearest servant.

Finding one rounding the corner, she called out to the older female and began queried the latter regarding any interesting occurrences that may have happened over the course of the day, but rather than paying the servant any attention, Hinata kept her full attention on the closed sliding door that stood between herself and the conversation she was now eavesdropping upon.

"I see." It was Shino who spoke first, choosing to reply to Hiashi's statement rather than allow the older man to follow up with any more words. "Am I to assume this is regarding our off-record discussion after the last meeting?"

There was a moment of silence then, the third-party observer imagining her father nod before her teammate spoke again.

"I would recommend another place to talk about such things, Hiashi-san; I shall see what I can arrange for tomorrow evening as there will be another conveying of the High Council during the day and I still have to make preparations for my mission."

It was Hiashi who spoke next, saying: "Very well, Aburame-san." At this Hinata raised her eyebrows, slightly perturbed at her father's sudden formality but unable to contemplate any more as the Hyuuga head immediately added: "Shall I send a vassal to inquire upon your availability tomorrow at noon?"

"No," Shino stated before the older male could say any more. "Expect a letter on your desk by the time you arrive home from the meeting; the envelope will be unsealed."

Not needing to hear any more said, and wanting some peace so that she may ponder what she had the privilege of knowing, Hinata bowed to the servant, thanking the older woman for sharing the events of that day and made for her room on the other side of the building.

As her footsteps echoed through the mansion as it made ready for sleep, she thought back to what she had just heard: It was rather clear that there are things going on between her father and her friend that she was not aware of, whether these things would have anything to do with her remained to be unseen, but the heiress could also draw the conclusion that her father's recent behavior had more to do than just the announcement of prince Rikudo's birthday celebration considering the fact that the two males had spoken right after the last council meeting three days prior.

This also told Hinata that Aburame Shino, someone that she had come to acknowledge as her closest confidant was hiding things from her – things that might have to do with her personally due to her father's involvement – and she did not like it.

The kunoichi was now at the mansion's northern wing which she shared with her younger sister, Hanabi, the silence of the room she had just passed telling her that the more favored sister was now asleep.

Making a right and sliding open the entrance to her room, she frowned into her darkened room, her mind still dwelling on the slight mistrust that had just made itself known to her.

But worse still, whatever business Shino was currently conducting with the Hyuuga clan head was something that the former was handling personally with little – if at all – involvement of the rest of the Aburame clan.

_Could it have been personal, then?_

Her lips pulled downward at the thought.

_-Personal business that can be connected to my father? And to such an extent that he would try to make contact with Shino on such hours that he wouldn't usually work?_

It was a most disturbing though.

But as she went to her closet and began dressing for bed while replaying the conversation had overheard, the female was struck by one specific detail, one statement made by her teammate that fit into the logical reasoning that he so advocated:

'_Expect a letter on your desk by the time you arrive home from the meeting; the envelope will be unsealed.'_

Pulling her undershirt over her head and replacing it with the kimono she favored wearing in her sleep, she tried to analyze it.

_There isn't any reason for Shino to leave that sort of message in father's desk, and if there was, it wouldn't have been wise for him to state the location the letter would be left since father always goes to his study first upon returning home from anywhere._

The sides of her lips sank low as her frown deepened.

_Even more so, what point was there in saying that the letter would be unsealed?_ This was an anomaly that seemed to scream at the girl, for she understood that leaving a letter unsealed left the recipient unable to tell whether it had been read beforehand or not.

She had been about to settle in her futon when that last detail made her eyebrows rise and her lips draw a startled gasp.

Clapping her hands over her mouth, she activated her Byakugan and began casting glances around the room while speaking to herself in whispers: "He did it on purpose! He knew I was listening to him speak with my father and he made arrangements in such a way that I would be given the opportunity to understand the situation better." She felt the presence then, her bloodline limit locking onto a little creature whose eight legs pattered against the side of her wall and making its way to her window.

Flicking on her light, she managed to see only a flash of black dash trough the opening in her wall before the spider was gone.

For all she knew, it could have been nothing more than a trick of the light or her own imagination running wild.

Aburame Shino's last statement along with the little creature she just saw also imparted two messages to her:

The first, _'You wanted to know what was bothering your father these past days, no? Then this is your opportunity to find out for while I cannot tell you what you what you want to know, it is not my fault if you were to stumble upon the information.'_ Or at the very least that was what she wanted to believe, wanting to keep faith in the trust she shared with her friend.

The second, the message that came to her when she saw the arachnid in the room with her Byakugan, _'Be more subtle with your eavesdropping, Hinata.'_ she could almost imagine the unnoticeable smirk on his lips; she moved to turn the lights back off and settle down on her futon.

The first understanding made her next course of action clear, though:

_I will be paying father's study a visit tomorrow at noon._

~TtT~

Uchiha Sasuke found sneaking around his own village in the dead of night to be rather cliché; the sort of thing that was imagined by kids that were still at the academy when they talked about how it was going to be like in the line of work he was currently practicing.

He snorted as he recalled that the latter statement was, in fact, untrue as very few ninja aspirants thought of midnight excursions as something of the norm.

That had been the case with him, after all.

Sneaking into the building had been an easy task, the lack of guards in the building making the action all the easier. Yet despite the ease with which the task was completed, the shinobi chose to continue his traversing via the ceiling, opting to play it safe in the event that some random resident decided to walk around the halls to go to the restroom or on some other mundane pretext.

He had only been in this section of the mansion two or three times, both of which with his Sharingan deactivated so that he couldn't immediately memorize the visual layout of the complex but he had done his best to get a general idea of locations of the points of interest that he could use as basis.

In this case, his exact destination: the private study of one Aburame Shino.

This time though, he kept his Kekkei Genkai active, wanting to have a full knowledge of the area he was searching for future references.

He made a left at the first crossing he encountered, quickly casting a red glance around before finding a potted plant that he could not recall being passed on en route to his sought-after destination; turning around to study his second option – the hall that he would have faced had he turned right as opposed to left, the Uchiha recognized the hanging scroll with the Hokage monument painted on it and ran towards it before rounding the corner at the end of the path.

Sasuke inwardly cursed at the sight the greeted him:

It could have been best described as a tree, the trunk that he had been standing in branching out to countless other halls, rooms, and entrances that most certainly served as protection for the clan heir that resided within the wing of the Aburame mansion that Sasuke had been intruding upon. They would repeat and loop into one another and create the illusion that he was searching through a gigantic pathway.

The shinobi suppressed a sigh before allowing himself to drop to the floor and walk down the path before him while calmly studying the differences between each entrance.

Five entrances on each side, the first on his right went of about ten meters before breaking into another set of five entrances that he assumed were connected with its other four counterparts. On his left side, the there was a staircase that went both up and down an estimated twenty meters from where he stood with an entrance that directed him back towards the area he had just come from.

Taking three steps forward so that the second pair of entrances was to his sides, Sasuke studied them as he did the first: the one on his right being a mirror of the first set and the one on his left having another staircase that lead down as opposed to the first and extending a further thirty meters and leading to a sliding door that he assumed was the garden.

The third left entrance was a copy of the second as was the fourth while the fifth imitated the first albeit with the corner that accompanied the stairwell going forward instead of back.

At the end of the hall was another scroll painting, this time of the Kyuubi attack from fifteen years before. He approached the hanging parchments to get take in its appearance better – as Sasuke could rarely find pieces that depicted event as so few seemed willing to remember it.

It was of black ink, quite unlike the first scroll he had passed upon entering that had been a colored rendering of the Hokage's faces; this one had the great fox facing west where the sun set while its tails spread outward from itself and towards the village, leaving a path of destruction while blocking the people from the withering sunlight.

The image was an attack on hope if he knew no better.

But there was something else about the painting that Sasuke couldn't place his finger on, something out of place about it that bothered him. Deciding to give in to this urge before continuing with his objective, he neared the artwork and extended his hand to touch it but casting his Sharingan around the immediate area so to be aware of any traps that might be sprung upon making contact with the yellowed paper.

What caught his attention most though was not on the wall in front of him, or the wooden corners on either of his sides, but the floor that he stood on.

It was slight, so soft that he would not have noticed it had he been moving at the relaxed pace that he was when he walked closer to the Kyuubi's portrait but he felt it:

That soft breeze that should not have been there if the wall he was facing was in fact, a wall.

With a smirk and a downward glance of his Sharingan that exposed to him the last piece of evidence he needed to form his conclusion, Sasuke snorted and said, eying the dancing yellow lights at his feet:

"Red Herring…"`

The other ten entrances before this one were nothing more than distractions, taking advantage of the fact that most intruders would have been too hurried deciding on the first ten options to bother contemplating the obviousness of their target being right in plane sight. The Uchiha head admitted that he would have fallen for it as well had the painting not caught his attention.

It was then the oddness of the scroll became clear to him: the lower wooden cylinder that the paper wound around seemed to be dangling a little off the wall, not really making contact, but not far enough to be noticeable to anyone without the Sharingan or prior knowledge of the anomaly either.

And that was why he said what he said; all the other puzzles before this little trick that was so mundane it should have been noticed by a casual observer were merely red herring – unneeded information irrelevant to the problem.

Sweeping the scroll to one side, the shinobi grabbed hold of the iron clasp and pulled the wooden panel aside, the object soundlessly bending to the interloper's will and removing itself from his way and revealing the five meter walkway that lead to a wooden, rice paper-covered sliding door with a plaque above it, the golden kanji dancing in the soft candlelight that should have already been put out:

Aburame Shino.

Channeling chakra to his feet, Sasuke set his soles on the right wall rather than the floor and walked forward; for it was easy to assume that those last five meters were made of singing floorboards to warn the sleeping heir of an intruder that had made it past the last line of defense.

But of the orange glow that shone off the translucent paper told the Uchiha anything, it was the fact that the member of team eight was still awake.

"I see you finally decided to pay me a visit, Uchiha Sasuke-san." Shino struck first, sending his verbal blow the moment the sliding door was pushed aside. "Three days is certainly a long time to wait before making a basic inquiry." The room Sasuke entered was dark, lit only by two candles – one on the Aburame's writing desk and one located on a stand in front of the entrance. "You weren't having second thoughts, were you?"

The still silent intruder felt his eyebrows nose wrinkle and his lips be pulled down; momentarily flinching from his adversary's drawing of first blood with the preemptive strike.

Setting his feet back on the polished floor, Sasuke made his way to the rightmost corner before sitting on his haunches and replying: "What do you know?" He didn't bother to think of a response to Shino's opening, knowing that there was little he could say to counter the inquiry that could put the Aburame on the defensive so the Uchiha chose to take the hit and send a quick strike of his own.

The vice councilor, however, wasn't phased and parried the blow with practiced ease: "You lack courtesy, Uchiha-san, to make demands without answering with the proper niceties." The jab was mixed with the defense, and the clan head took the hit.

Sasuke had to remind himself then that the person he was speaking with was not the usual quiet member of team Konoha's eight genin squad but the vice high councilor of the Aburame clan who had been in training at least five years longer than he had and practicing as a member of the village high council for at least a full year longer than he had. The former had no reason to be trained to be a member of the council before because of the simple fact that the Uchiha clan had not been a part of aforementioned governing body until just recently.

Experience was not on his side tonight, and talent on the battlefield was useless here where words took precedence.

Shino took up his brush and continued writing the letter he had been working on prior to Sasuke's arrival. "Your bloodline does not give you power over me; it will not help you with getting information, nor will it enable you to overpower me if you intend to use force." The said red eyes narrowed at the blow. "Recall that I have the home field advantage, and you are not aware of whatever traps I may have present."

As though Shino saw the intruder tense his muscles in preparation for a physical confrontation, the former added: "So I would suggest you relax your muscles before I have you bound." It was after this was said that a black blur fell from the ceiling and unto Sasuke's left thigh.

It was a spider, about the size of open palm with legs as long as each of his fingers.

He immediately raised an eyebrow at this unexpected revelation: The Aburame were not known for using spiders.

Forcing himself to relax, leaning his back against the smooth wooden corner behind him, Sasuke made to reply, saying, "Though you are acting the way you are now, you certainly didn't bother to shield your secret when you made that comment regarding my earring." It was a decent counter, the clan head knew; with an argument solid enough, the Uchiha hoped to manage some sort of substantial reply from the Aburame heir. "If you didn't want to establish contact, you would have remained quiet about it."

The last sentence caused Shino to stop writing, the brush finishing one more stroke before being set down on the desk and the wet ink let to dry.

A nod: "Yes, my pointing out your earring – which I can also ascertain you didn't really buy off some random Suna merchant – did serve to tell you that I was more aware than others." Sasuke saw the clan heir look down to examine the state of the latter's writing, Shino added: "But this was to tell you that you were not alone, to tell you that there was more than one operative within Konoha's walls so that you may watch out of whom you cross while you go about your investigation." If the Uchiha could describe what his opponent had just told him in terms of physical moves, his strike had just been blocked and returned with two punches to his stomach that took his breath and shook his concentration.

It was a verbal beat down if he knew anything.

"You ask me what I know when I have yet to be made to understand of what it is you seek, Uchiha-san?" the speaker then took up his brush once more and resumed writing. "Considering that fact, ponder this: what am I to gain by presenting you with information?"

Sasuke was not given time to make a comeback, Shino delivering a third blow to follow the first and second with the total coldness the latter was known to display in combat:

"None, Uchiha-san; I have nothing to gain from you as of this moment."

At this revelation, the high councilor's scowl deepened; with his defenses in tatters and his weapons broken, Sasuke saw little reason in making any more attempts as he was smart enough to accept a grueling loss when he saw one.

Much to his irritation though, the spider that had landed on his left thigh was still there and seemed to refuse to move when he shook his leg slightly as though the arachnid was telling him to remain in place. And with one black brow raised, he gazed at the back of his colleague's head in anticipation.

"Why do I wish for you to remain still, Uchiha Sasuke-san?" After saying this, Shino once again set his brush down to give the ink time to dry before continuing. "You should understand that you are not locked-down yet." This time both of the listener's brows rose in curiosity. "Take note of the fact that you have yet to have something to offer me, but that doesn't mean that you will not have anything to offer in the future. Consider it a type of credit system." With his hand no longer compromised by the writing utensil that was the brush, the Aburame gestured to the front, right corner of the room where a third candle ignited to reveal a scroll display case.

A second and third spider emerged from the scroll shelf on the top row that was second from the furthest left and pulled the contents out, the scroll falling to the floor and rolling to where Sasuke sat.

He immediately recognized the silver, latch-like seal of the Uchiha clan.

"Know thyself before coming to know what is and what may be." –Said Shino, folding the letter he had written and preparing the melted wax that would serve as its seal. "Learn everything you can about your clan and tell me what you have learned; there is no need to divulge clan jutsu or the like." The molten liquid dripped like coagulating blood in the orange light, falling on the envelope's mouth and spreading outward before Shino deigned to stop feeding the puddle. "What I want you to present to me are events that occurred that are significant to the village and the involvement of the Uchiha in them."

Sasuke's raised eyebrows came down to knit together.

"You want me to make you a report?"

Still not facing him, the Aburame shook his head, answering: "I want you to make an argument."

Seemingly satisfied with the state of the sealing wax, the male situated at the desk took out a ring that had been hung around his neck by a chain and positioned it above the drying liquid. And with the motion of an executioner bringing down his axe upon the block, he placed his personal seal upon the letter.

"Return to me when you are ready, and we shall proceed from there." The clan heir then set his newly finished letter beside the unsealed one that he had completed prior to Sasuke's arrival. "I bid you good night, high councilor Uchiha Sasuke."

Coup de grâce.

~TtT~

"""_End of Demonstration."""_

-First King Legion, Second King Fleet, and Third King Maelstrom


End file.
